


Michael

by beachbaby



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 43,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beachbaby/pseuds/beachbaby
Summary: Takes place after season 5. Michael is still on Earth planning a new punishment for Lucifer. He never expects to meet and fall in love with someone.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. Lisa

Lisa wiped down the corner booth for the umpteenth time that day. This table was, by far, the customer favorite. Teenagers made googly eyes at each other there, cops worked on their cases there, women gossiped about their husbands there - life happened there. No, other people's lives happened there.  
Her life consisted of going to work, buying groceries once in awhile, and dreaming about the life she wished she had. She sighed heavily. It wasn't really her life she wanted to change. She actually liked her run down apartment in her not so great neighborhood, the out of date little diner she worked at, her out of date and well worn clothes, and her neighbors were, for the most part, really good people. She had everything she needed. What she wanted, aside from the tropical vacation she would never be able to afford, was a man. Yeah, yeah. This was the twenty-first century and she should be perfectly happy on her own. But when the rain pelted the roof late at night as she lay restless in her bed, she couldn't help wishing for a pair of strong arms to wrap around her, warm breath in her hair as he held her close, soft lips on her neck keeping her from falling asleep. She sighed again.

She took the empty salt shaker and left the full one in it's place. It was only half an hour until closing time, and she said a little prayer that the diner would stay empty and she would be able to go home on time tonight. She had to walk the three blocks back to her apartment through a pretty rough neighborhood, and they didn't close until 11:00. Not that anyone was interested in her. Grant was constantly telling her how beautiful she was, but Grant was 72 years old, and she was pretty sure he was going blind.  
The bell above the door rang heralding the arrival of another customer. Grant shrugged at her from the kitchen. She took a deep breath to expel all the things she wanted to call the person who had just walked in. With her best smile in place, she grabbed a menu and turned to greet the late comer.  
He was sitting in the corner booth, just kind of staring down at his hands. She recognized him almost immediately. He was Lucifer Morningstar, owner of Lux, the nightclub where her little sister had had her bachelorette party. Their older sister, and matron of honor, had felt sorry for poor little Lisa and her downtrodden life and had insisted she come along for a night of dancing, drinking and strippers, which Lucifer had gladly hired to entertain them.

Then her smile faltered a little. She didn't fit in with her sister's high class friends and had taken her place alone at the bar watching everyone else have fun. Until Lucifer noticed her. He flirted with her relentlessly, danced with her, gave her top shelf whisky, and even talked her into trying a molly.  
Then the smile completely fell from her face. Eventually, the bride-to-be, all of her bridesmaids, and the strippers were invited up to Lucifer's penthouse to continue the party there. He taken her hand in his, kissed the back of her fingers in the most gentlemanly manner and said, "It was lovely to meet you." Then he wrapped an arm around each of her sisters and took everyone upstairs. Everyone but her. One of the bartenders offered to send her home in a cab, courtesy of Lucifer, which she was too stunned not to accept. Even Lucifer, lover of women and men, drunk and high on only God knew what drugs, hadn't found her attractive enough to sleep with. To be honest, she was glad she didn't sleep with him that night. It only would have been pity sex, and that was far worse than being rejected.

She stopped short of the booth. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she took a moment to look him over. A nasty looking scar had been slashed across his face, his right shoulder sat at an odd angle, and he had traded in his Armani suit for a turtle neck and a cheap sports coat. Maybe he had fallen on hard times?  
He turned his head to look at her. He only held her gaze for a few seconds, but there was no hint of recognition in his face. Why would there be? She hadn't been part of the fun. His smile made her smile again in return. It wasn't the same cheerful smile she had seen at Lux that night, but it was definitely the same curve of the lips - lips so perfect, she silently thanked God for them.

"Hi." She greeted him with her best smile and cheeriest tone. "What can I get for you tonight?"

"Coffee please, and some French toast."

What the hell? Apparently he had also traded his sexy British accent for an American one? Lisa shook her head slightly to bring attention back to her customer. "Sure thing. I'll be right back with your coffee."

She started to turn away, but the questions in her head demanded answers. "Aren't you Lucifer Morningstar?" Normally she would never have asked, but there was something so off about him that she blurted out the question without so much as a second thought.

His eyes narrowed at her and his mouth twisted into a sneer. "Do I look like Lucifer Morningstar to you?" His tone was down right angry and it made her mad.  
The smile she had given him disappeared and she scowled back at him. "As a matter of fact you do." She swung around while muttering "asshole" before he had a chance to reply. The nerve of that man! Getting mad at her because he happened to look like someone else.

"Here." She tried to shove the ticket into the ticket holder only to have it float to the floor. She snatched it up and tried to shoved it in the holder again, and again it fell, so she slammed it down on the ledge of the half-wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room. Grant raised an eyebrow in question.  
"He wants French toast." She forced the words out through gritted teeth, and then turned away to pour his coffee. She grabbed some creamer as well, so he wouldn't have a reason to call her back to the table. The less interaction she had with him, the better.

She ignored the quizzical look on his face as she approached. The coffee was piping hot, and for a moment she considered "spilling" it in his lap. No, she couldn't bring herself to do that, at least not yet. She did, however, come just short of slamming the cup on the tabletop. A little coffee splashed over the rim of the cup, which only worsened her mood. She dropped the creamers next to the cup, leaned over the table to grab some napkins out of the dispenser, and dropped them on top of the spilled coffee. Whether he left a tip or not, this was as close as she was coming to cleaning up the mess that he made her make. Without a word, she stomped back behind the counter.

Grant smiled apologetically as he placed the plate of the battered and fried bread in front of her. She glared at him as she snatched up the plate. Half way to the booth she realized she had forgotten the syrup and had to turn around. By the time she made it to the table with his food, his anger had been replaced with an extreme curiosity, like he couldn't figure out why she was mad at him. He also looked very amused. Apparently he was enjoying her bad attitude. She tried very hard to ignore him, mostly because he seemed to have let the perceptible insult go which was starting to make her feel a little bad for overreacting. And yes, she had overreacted which pissed her off even more.  
She tossed the plate down in front of him then slammed the syrup down next to it. Luckily the syrup was too thick to slosh over the rim like the coffee had. That was a mess she'd rather not have to clean up again.

One of the perks of working the closing shift in the middle of the week was that it was usually dead and she could get all the cleaning and restocking out of the way before closing time. With nothing to do until he finished eating, she took a seat at the bar on the other side of the diner. She wanted to make him have to put forth some kind of an effort to get her attention if he wanted anything else.

Wow. She was really being petty. She pretended not to watch him, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Despite the scar, he was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen. Even more handsome than Lucifer, even though they looked identical.

The way he ate his meal was deliberate. He wasn't enjoying the food, even though Grant did make the best French toast she had ever tasted, he was just doing what he needed to in order to survive. His overall body language suggested that he was guarded and wary of people. He had been hurt badly, and by someone he trusted. That was her guess anyway. She knew how that felt. After a twenty-one year marriage to a controlling, manipulative, emotionally abusive man she had a hard time trusting people too. Her heart began to soften toward him and her anger slowly dissipated.

Maybe the reason she had been so angry was because he did look just like Lucifer. She had only met him the one time, but he had made a lasting impression, which really wasn't all that great when she stopped to think about it. Watching him choose her sisters over her… Anger began to surface again, but she stamped it down immediately. Her last customer of the night certainly had nothing to do with that and she refused to take it out on him anymore.

Sometime during her mental commentary, he had looked up to see her staring at him. Sort of. It was more that she was lost in her own thoughts and not really paying attention to where, or at whom, she was looking. She saw that he had finished his meal and was waiting for her to bring him the check so she slid off the stool and made her way back to the corner booth.

"Can I get you anything else?" She asked as she stacked the coffee cup, silverware, and syrup on top of the plate. "How about a slice of apple pie? I made it fresh this afternoon."  
"No thank you. Just the check." Her stomach fluttered at the sound of his voice, and the smile he gave her made her knees weak.  
"Ok." She smiled and handed him the slip of paper. Just as he reached for his wallet she snatched the check off the table where he had put it down. "You know what? I'm gonna buy your supper tonight. It's the least I can do after the way I acted toward you earlier." She cheeks flush a little at the confession. "It wasn't you, really. I know how cliché that sounds. It's just that Lu…" She hesitated. He didn't need to know about her one and only night at Lux. "It was just something from the past that should never have come up again. Anyway, I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." His smile grew a little wider. "I should apologize as well. Lucifer is my brother, and I might have overreacted a little, a lot when you confused me with him. I'm sorry for that."

Lisa's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger. "Apology accepted. How about we start over." She suggested as she held out her hand to him. "Hi. I'm Lisa."

He gave her a genuine smile for the first time as he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Michael."


	2. Michael

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael watches Lisa

Michael stood in the shadows across the street from the diner watching Lisa through the glass front of the restaurant as she cleaned the table he had been sitting at then mopped the floor. There was something about her that perplexed him. Something not quite right.

In the ten minutes he had been standing there, he had only come up with one plausible explanation - she had no fear. He hadn't been on Earth very long, but the few humans he had interacted with personally all had the same reactions to him. All of them were helplessly attracted to him - his divine presence was more accurate - and the few who saw it, feared his temper.

The human's attraction to him was unappealing at best. How Lucifer could tolerate it was beyond him, let alone enjoy it. He hated the way women threw themselves at him, like that cop had done. Just the thought of her made his blood boil. The bitch had come on to him, had led him on for days just so she could hurt him when he was at his most vulnerable. Never again. Not even this one, with her short curly brown hair, her green eyes, and a smile that lit up the room when she shared it.  
He shook his head to rid himself of the thought and to bring this puzzle of his back to the forefront.

The only other reaction humans had to him was fear. The smallest glimpse of his angelic anger and they would cower in fear, crying and begging him not to hurt them. He hadn't meant to get as angry as he did with Lisa tonight, but being mistaken for Lucifer had caught him off guard and after the fight they had had, it caused him to lash out at her more fiercely than he ever would have done otherwise.

She didn't fawn all over him when they first met, and instead of cowering in fear when he growled at her, she had gotten angry at him. She stayed angry too. At least for little awhile. Then when she brought him the check, she was absolutely the friendliest person he had ever known. She even paid for his meal in the way of an apology, as if she had done something wrong. The look she gave him when she said, "It's good to meet you, Michael." And the way she said his name - with wonder and… something he couldn't quite put his finger on. The way she bit her lip shyly as she met his eyes. And the way her cheeks flushed. He sighed at the thought.

After a moment his eyes narrowed and he let out a soft growl. He was starting to sound like a human and that was just unacceptable.

"Goodnight, Grant."

The sound of her voice brought him back to the present.

"Goodnight Lisa. You be careful walking home." Grant called back.

"I will."

Michael watched the old man walk across the street, down two doors, and into an apartment building. Lisa turned left and started walking down the deserted street. He pushed himself off the brick wall and followed her, being very careful to keep a good distance between them. He wanted to learn more about her, find out what fears lived deep down inside that pretty little soul of hers.

The further they walked, the more intrigued he became. She walked with her head held high and a spring in her step. Her sweet voice floated back to him as she hummed some bouncy little tune that he had never heard before. She looked like she was walking through a field of wildflowers, or along a deserted beach instead of down a dark, menacing street in one of the worst parts of the city.

Her step faltered for a moment as she came upon a man sitting on a door step smoking what looked like a cigar with a paper wrapped bottle sitting at his feet. She casually walked to the far side of the sidewalk as far away from him as she could get without stepping into the street. 

"Hey there! You got a twenty you can give me?" The man called out as Lisa walked past.

"I don't have any money. Sorry." She answered respectfully, and kept walking. She was cautious, but she wasn't afraid of him.

She obviously had no idea what this man was thinking, but Michael could sense it just as well as he could sense the man's fear. The miscreant was terrified of prison, and he would do anything not to go back. It was probably the only thing that saved Lisa from becoming his next victim.

After two blocks, she turned left again, walked another block and a half and turned up the short walk to the stoop of a run down apartment building. It was a large brick structure. Whatever paint had covered the steps and covered stoop had long ago peeled away leaving the concrete naked to the elements. Six young troublesome looking men were sitting around the stoop talking and laughing loudly. All eyes turned to Lisa as she made her way through the group. "Hey Lisa. Why don't you come over here and sit with me." He was obviously drunk, as were his friends. He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her toward him.

"Keep your hands off me, Leon." Lisa snatched her hand out of his grip and glared at him as she walked to the door.

"Bitch." Leon grumbled as his friends burst into laughter.

Michael smiled as she disappeared into the building. She certainly hadn't been afraid of them. He waited there, hidden in the shadows across the street, to see if he could see which apartment was hers. He waited a few minutes, but no lights had come on. Her apartment must be around the back, he thought. He'd have to come back tomorrow night and wait in the back of the building for her to come home. Just as he was turning to go, a light came on on the top floor and a moment later Lisa's silhouette appeared behind the curtain. He smiled and slipped back into the darkness.

He watched as she bent over, taking her shoes off he imagined. Then she reached her arm behind her back, grabbed the zipper of her dress and pulled it down. Michael's heart began to race as he watched her pull the fabric up over her head and toss it aside. She did the same with her bra, and then slid her panties down her legs and stepped out of them. He reached down to adjust himself to a more comfortable position, but there wasn't one. He was as hard as he'd been when that cop reached into his pocket at the precinct and grabbed him. Harder, actually, which he hadn't thought possible, and Lisa hadn't touched him. He watched her walk across the window to the side of the room. The light in the room got a little brighter, then dimmed again to what it was before. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and ran his fingers back through his hair. He knew it was wrong to watch her like this, but she was so…

"Hey you!" Leon called out from the stoop where he and his friends were still drinking. "What are you doing over there?"

The sound of the man's voice brought him back to his senses. He looked at the men briefly, decided he didn't feel like beating the crap out of any of them, and slowly turned away from Lisa's apartment.

He waited until he was completely alone before he unfurled his wings and took flight. Then he soared over the city and back to the abandoned zoo he had claimed as his when he'd needed a place to keep that cop. After a quick exploration of the visitor's center and the offices, he had found a cot in the back of the maintenance room and had claimed the space as his own while he was here on Earth. It wasn't much, but he didn't need much, just somewhere he could sleep and stay dry when it rained, and where he would be left in peace.

Not that he was getting any peace tonight. Lisa was there, in his head, stripping out of her clothes completely unaware of the archangel nearby watching her. A twinge of guilt surfaced at the thought. He should have left as soon as he'd seen her, not stay and watch her strip. It was a private moment, which had taught him nothing about her. He ran his fingers back through his hair with a sigh and laid down on the old cot. His eye lids grew heavy and when he closed them Lisa was there, with the sweetest smile on her lips.

Michael followed Lisa for almost a week, watching her every move. He saw the interactions she had with the other residents in the building. They were a very loving and close nit community, but he was troubled by some of the tenants.

There were three elderly women and an elderly man who lived in the four apartments on the ground floor - all of them had basically adopted Lisa and treated her as if she was their own. The next two floors had three apartments each which were occupied by single mother and her two children, a prostitute, the man who owned a small grocery store around the corner, a drug dealer, a bartender and his wife, and an elementary school teacher with her husband and son. Lisa shared the top floor studio apartments with an actor, a photographer, a hairdresser, a gay couple who both worked at a club downtown, and a stripper - pardon, exotic dancer. And there was no shortage of unsavory visitors, courtesy of the drug dealer and the prostitute.

What he learned about Lisa herself, aside from her living arrangements, was almost nothing. She went to work. She went home. No boyfriend, no friends outside of the people in the building, no pets, and not much money.

And no fear.

No matter how deep he dug into her life, no matter how much danger she had been in at times, and there had been times when she had been in significant danger, she simply wasn't afraid. Of anything. What she was, however, was excessively happy. Like, all the time. She was never without that spring in her step, or a smile on her face. That was especially odd seeing how angry she had gotten with him at the diner. She was kind to everyone, and as generous as her meager earnings would allow her to be.  
What was he going to do with her?

Not that he wanted to do anything with her. Yes, she was beautiful and something about her made him want to take her into her apartment and watch her take her clothes off again, in person this time, but she was just a puzzle to work out. A complicated one, but a puzzle nonetheless. That was it. He wasn't Lucifer, for God's sake.  
Maybe it was time to go back to the diner. Spending some time with her could reveal more about her, things she never shared with anyone else. Yes, that sounded perfect.


	3. Lisa

Lisa thanked Ed and grabbed her bags from the counter. She had gotten fed up with the paper bags always ripping and the thin plastic handles breaking before she got half way home so when she found a couple of canvas beach bags someone had donated to the thrift store, she bought them. Best three dollars she had ever spent.

"Good morning Emma." She smiled at the at the grumpy hello she got in return. Dark clouds hung low over the city, and she could smell the rain in the air. "Please Pops, just let me get my bread home before you let it pour." She had gone to the bakery and bought the last loaf of sourdough they had, which was tucked away in a thin paper bag next to the lettuce. Her heart was so light today that she couldn't help but to whistle. It was her night off and she was going to hold up in her apartment and make some Sopa De Lima, her favorite chicken soup and probably her favorite Mexican dish next to chimichangas. Not a whole lot of things were better than nice hot bowl of mildly spicy chicken soup on a dark and stormy day.

At the corner she stopped, looked to the left and the right checking for oncoming traffic. Then she looked to the right again. The tall gentleman with the dropped shoulder and scarred face was unmistakable. Michael was walking toward her. When he saw that she had noticed him, he smiled, which filled her stomach with butterflies. Abandoning her route, she turned and walked toward him.

"Hi Michael." Her cheeks flushed when she said his name, and she was rewarded with a smile in return. He looked a little nervous, which was so cute that she wanted to drop her bags and hug him.

"Hi Lisa."

She had a very ordinary name, but the sound of it in his voice made her want to swoon, and the way he was looking at her made her feel… pretty, even though she knew she wasn't.

They stood facing each other like a couple of nervous teenagers coming face to face with their crushes. She was so nervous, she didn't trust herself not to say something stupid, which was something Jeffery had berated her for many times when they were married.

"So, you live around here."

It was more of a statement than a question, and Lisa had a feeling he knew good and well that she did. But it was an ice breaker, so she smiled.  
"Yeah. Just around the corner." She held up a shopping bag so she could point a finger across the street. He looked at the bag curiously. She was so used to using them that she almost forgot they were beach bags. The wind blew cold, reminding her of the impending storm.

"Would you like to have lunch with me?" He looked surprised by the invitation, but he wasn't nearly as surprised as she was. "I'm going to make a big pot of soup. It's really good." She stammered. "I mean, it'll take a couple of hours to cook, but you can hang out with me if you want to, until it's ready." She couldn't bare to look at him after fumbling so badly. It was just another reminder of just how inadequate she was.

"I'd love to." 

Her head snapped up to find Michael smiling down at her. If she didn't know any better, someone could have said that he looked absolutely smitten.  
"Great." She couldn't remember ever feeling this happy to be spending time with someone.

"Let me take these." He reached down and took the bags out of her hands, which she relinquished immediately.

A loud boom of thunder drown out her "Thank you" and they both looked up at the storm clouds overhead. The sky had turned black and the first drops of rain sent a warning.  
"We'd better hurry." She told him with her eyes still turned to the sky. "I've got some fresh bread in there that'll turn to mush if it gets rained on."

They wasted no time crossing the street and by the time they made it to her building, the rain was just starting to pour.

"I didn't know Ed started selling men over there." Ms. Gladys said while lowering her reading glasses to inspect the stranger.

"Mm hm." Ms. Pearl agreed. "He got anymore like that?"

"Pearl, you stop it." Ms. Bea scolded. "If anyone's getting themselves one of those it'll be me." 

Lisa could practically feel Michael's cheeks burning. "Sorry Ladies, but I got the last one." She quipped as she pulled the door open.  
"Ladies." Michael gave the trio a killer smile and a wink, then walked into the darkened lobby.

"Sorry about that. We don't really get any visitors that look like you." She blushed as she turned toward the rows of mail boxes that had been built into the wall. She fished her keys out of the worn old gypsy bag that served as a purse and opened the metal box labeled 406 to retrieve her mail.

"That look like me?" It took a moment before he asked, as if he were trying to understand what she'd meant before asking an obvious question.  
She looked up with a smile. "Yeah, you know, handsome." He looked like he had been caught off guard, as if he didn't know just how drop dead gorgeous he was.

"Oh."

"I'm this way." His smile nearly melted her panties. Damn it. She was not just going to hop into bed with a total stranger. Although if she were to hop into bed with a total stranger, he would definitely be the one she did it with. Holy crap.

She was going to have to straighten herself up before they got to her apartment. There was something about him that made her want to get to know him, all of him. Something she felt deep down in her soul that didn't really have anything to do with his looks. By the time they had climbed the four flights of stairs she felt more herself again. He hadn't said a word on the climb up, and she didn't really get to see his face again until she unlocked her door to let him in.

He hesitated a moment when he walked in. Probably wasn't expecting her to live in a studio apartment. Her sister had reacted the same way when she helped her move in. When the moment was over, he walked over to the kitchenette and put the bags on the counter.

Her apartment was no more than a large room with a kitchenette in one corner, living area in the middle, and space for her bed and a dresser on the wall opposite the kitchen. The bathroom was built in between the bedroom and front door, and a small closet boasted the space next to the kitchen. A large window opened the apartment up and flooded the place with natural light.

She never realized how small her apartment was until she saw Michael in it. She bit her bottom lip as she watched him explore her home. The scene looked far more intimate than just a new friend checking out her apartment for the first time. She had a feeling deep down in her gut that said this man was going to be hers. She got a similar feeling often while she was walking to and from work, when she passed one of Sam's johns in the hall, and when Leon's friend Mike was around. She called the feeling her guardian angel because she was pretty sure it had kept her out of trouble on a regular basis. Others called it her intuition. Whatever it was, it was certain that Michael was going to be the love of her life. Assuming his own guardian angel didn't point out all of the reasons he shouldn't be with her, and there was certainly no shortage of those.

Her sigh attracted his attention and he caught the look on her face before she could hide it. She quickly turned to the bags on the counter and started unloading the groceries, leaving the soup fixings next to the stove, which made her feel guilty as hell. Guilty of what, she didn't even know anymore. She was getting so flustered she couldn't think straight.

"Do you need help with anything?" He looked a little lost, like he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to be doing.

"Um." The word came out a little shaky. "You can put those in the fridge while I start the chicken." It sounded so mundane, but she had no idea what else to say. "You can help yourself to something to drink, if you like. Just make yourself at home."

"Thank you." After putting the cream and butter away, he pulled the pitcher of sweet tea out and held it up to the light so he could inspect it. "What's this?"

The question caught her a little off guard, but she shrugged it off. "That's sweet tea. The glasses are in there if you'd like some." She pointed to the cabinet next to the refrigerator.

After pouring two glasses of tea, he walked around the counter, claimed one of the two bar stools that turned the space into a dining room, and leaned against the counter to watch her work.

She didn't mind the silence, but she was desperate to know him. "So, Michael." She started nervously. She was terrible at small talk. "Do you live around here?"

"No." He smiled. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood when I ran into you."

"I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" She hadn't even considered the possibility that he'd had things to do.

"No. No, my whole day is free."

She tried not to smile too hard, but failed miserably. "Good." Thunder boomed overhead and the lights flickered briefly before deciding to stay on. That storm had better not mess up her soup.

"So… where do you live?"

He shifted in his seat a little uncomfortably, and for a minute she didn't think he was going to answer. Oh God, she was being too nosy.  
"Across town." He hesitated for a moment before elaborating. "Do you know that abandoned zoo on the other side of town?"

"Yeah. It closed down, what? Fifteen, twenty years ago?"

He nodded in agreement. "I'm staying there. For now."

She raised an eyebrow at him. His clothes weren't brand new or anything, but she never would have guessed that he was homeless. "Oh. That sounds… Well, kind of creepy actually." Her eyebrows drew together in thought. "I mean, it was creepy when Jeffery and I went, and that was during the day. I can't imagine being there at night, all alone."

"Who's Jeffery?"

If she didn't know better, she would swear his voice was tinged with jealousy. "He was my husband." Normally the past tense was enough to stop the questions, but Michael was curious.

"So, you're divorced?"

"Widowed." The word was still hard to say. After she told the elderlies, as she called the trio of women on the first floor, what had happened, she hadn't had to so much as think about it again.

"What happened?"

She put the lid on the pot, wiped her hands on a towel, and grabbed the glass of tea Michael had poured for her. "Let's sit in there. We'll be more comfortable." They walked the very short distance to the couch and took their seats at opposite ends so they could turn to look at each other while they talked.

She took a moment to collect herself before she spoke. It was no secret what had happened, but it wasn't talked about either. "He wasn't a violent man." She felt like she had to defend him on that point. "He didn't always say the nicest things to me, but he never hit me. Except on the last day. I don't know what happened to him that day, but when he came home from work he was beyond angry. I must have said or done something stupid. I do that a lot." She tried to offer a smile with her last statement, but failed. She looked down at the glass in her hands and took a breath. "I don't remember much after that. A detective was in my hospital room when I woke up. He said that Jeffery had attacked me with a baseball bat, and then…" She shrugged. "It was suicide by cop."

They were silent for a minute. She was sure she had just scared him away. Who would want her after hearing a story like that?  
"What is suicide by cop?"

She looked up at him a little surprised. She thought everyone knew what that was, but whatever. "Well, it's when you pull a weapon on a cop, forcing them to kill you in order to protect themselves."

"Why would he do that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. That was a question that she had asked herself a million times. "Maybe to avoid going to jail? I really don't know."

She watched him as he thought over what she'd said. She could tell that something about her story didn't make sense to him. Her breath caught in her lungs as he reached out and gently touched her cheek.

"You were his. Why would he ever want to destroy that?"

His words were so soft and so kind. A tear rolled down her cheek before she even knew it was there. The question now was, how could this man believe she was worth being with? He smiled gently and pulled his hand back, resuming his place on the sofa. A moment passed by in silence, and then another. This time the silence was deafening.

"So. Um." She stammered wanting desperately to break the silence. "What about you? Have you ever been married? Do you have any children?" And Lord, what his children would look like.

The comfortable smile he'd had on earlier crept back onto his face. "I've never been married, no. And I don't have any children."

"Really?"

"Does that surprise you?" He grinned.

"Well, yes it does actually. Why not?" He shrugged his shoulders, but didn't offer an answer. "You just never found the right one, huh?" She offered.

"Something like that." 

It was clear that he was holding something back, but she didn't want to push it. He'd tell her in his own time. Assuming they actually became a couple.

"Do you have any other family here?" He asked rather shyly. He was so freaking cute!

"My older sister and her husband live in Beverly Hills, but that's it. My little sister lives in New York with her family, and my parents are still in Alabama."

"Alabama. So that explains the accent."

"Oh." Jeffery was forever telling her how stupid her accent was and had even paid for lessons for her to learn to speak "normally".

"I like it." It was almost like he could read her mind. "It sounds like… like silk and honey. Soft and sweet."

He smiled as her cheeks tuned bright red. "You're just being sweet." Yeah maybe, but it was working. 

"You're really cute when you blush." He grinned.

She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or flirting.

A savage hiss came from the stove, drawing their attention to the kitchen. "It's the soup. Excuse me." She stood up from the couch and walked to the stove a little too quickly. She needed to put some distance between them before she started misreading his signals, because right now she was convinced that he genuinely liked her. It had been so long since a man had shown any kind of an interest in her, that she didn't trust herself to know the difference between being him friendly and him coming on to her.

"Do you have any family in the area?" She asked hoping to pick up the conversation where it had so abruptly ended. Another hour and the chicken would be ready to shred and they could finally eat. The storm raged so violently that it had her questioning the structural fortitude of the roof. If they didn't lose at least half the shingles today, she would be surprised.

Michael told her about his brothers, the ones living here in LA and the ones visiting, and about his dad's visit. He was a little shady with the details and their names sounded completely fabricated. He laughed when she asked him if his parents were super religious, having named all their children after angels, and just what kind of religion with a son named after the devil himself.

The conversation remained exploratory, each one asking questions about the other, trying to glean as much information as they could without getting too personal. The hours passed in a peaceful enchantment for Lisa. It took a little while, but Michael finally started opening up more and talking about himself. She wondered briefly what could have happened to make him so closed off to others, but was then reminded again of her own issues. Issues, by the way, that started to evanesce while she was with him. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or if she should start to worry.

His visit lasted into the wee hours of the morning. They were having such a good time that neither one of them paid any attention to the clock. Around 11:00, the torrential downpour became a calming rain shower. At 1:00 they washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen together. A little after 4:00 Lisa lost the battle she'd been waging with her eye lids and dozed off listening to Michael talking about his temporary home. Somewhere from the quiet depths of sleep, she felt strong fingers carefully brush the curls away from her face. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she fell deeper into a peaceful slumber.


	4. Michael

Michael smiled at the woman sleeping across from him. She had tried so hard to stay awake with him, but in the end her body won and she literally passed out. Now what to do with her. Should he put her in her bed, or leave her be? Her body was twisted in the most uncomfortable looking position. Gave him a backache just looking at her. Right.

He eased himself off the couch, and went to her bed. Unwanted images flooded his mind: the way that cop kissed him, the way she had looked at him, her hands on his chest, the last near kiss when he was sure they were going to… He shook the images from his head. No. He was not going to allow that woman to destroy what had turned out to be the most perfect day he had probably ever had. He pulled the covers down, fluffed up a pillow, and took one last look at the bed to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Not that he would know. He may have been keeping tabs on the planet's celestial inhabitants, but he had almost completely ignored the human ones.

He walked back over to where Lisa was sleeping. Lisa. The name didn't sound exotic but he couldn't keep himself from repeating it. Lisa. He smiled tenderly down at Lisa then slid his hands underneath her and picked her up. She was on the tall side as far as female humans went, with a thin frame that felt light as air in his arms, even in a dead sleep when they were at their heaviest. He carried her to her bed and carefully laid her down making sure to be especially careful with her head. As much as he would love to wake her up, and keep her awake, the poor thing needed to sleep. He pulled the blanket up and tucked the sides in just beneath her body, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth.

Once she was tucked in, he sat down next to her and put his hand on the bed on the other side of her body so that he was leaning over her. With his free hand he brushed the hair away from her face and watched as the smallest smile graced her lips. He did it again, and again she smiled.

His own smile faded. Something was happening to him. Something that felt a lot like love. But that couldn't happen. He wouldn't let that happen. She was a human and humans were vile, treacherous creatures who were self centered and cruel to others. They were no better than the angels if you wanted to think about it. When, since the beginning of time had anyone, celestial or otherwise, shown him any kind of affection. The fake come on by that cop was the closest thing to love he had known since… well since his mom and dad had started fighting over Dad's precious new hobby. Even placing himself at the right hand of God hadn't earned him the love that others were so freely given.

Lisa sighed, pulling him back into the moment. He watched her struggle to her side, wrap her arms around her pillow and settle in beneath the covers. Her shoulder had come out of the blanket so he pulled it back up so she wouldn't get cold. She was so pretty. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek and was rewarded with another smile. He could spend the entire morning kissing her and stroking her hair just so he could see her smile. Instead he stood up, carefully so he wouldn't wake her. He needed to get out of here. He needed some air, and some time alone to think.

He got as far as the door before the guilt started gnawing at him. Turning to face the room again, he ran his fingers through his hair looking for something he could write on. There was a small table under the window with a telephone on it, maybe she kept a paper and pen there. He crossed the room and smiled at the cartoon dog in the bottom corner of the notepad and it's matching pen. He jotted a quick note, then took one last look at his sleeping Lisa before quietly leaving the apartment.

Lisa was wonderful, but no matter how much he liked her he needed to focus on the task at hand - destroying Lucifer. Once that was done he could go home, back to the Silver City, never to step foot on this retched planet again. He hesitated. Three weeks ago that thought had been enough to fuel his mission, but now… He shook the thought away before it could form. "Focus on Lucifer." He growled.

Lucifer's new found love for the cop brought with it an abundance of fear. He was almost as riddled with fear as she was, and that gave him so much to work with. Instead of focusing on Lucifer's biggest fear, like he had done last time, he was going to attack them all at once, overload Lucifer to the point where he would run back to Hell just to make it stop. Once inside a cell, and he would eventually have to enter a cell, Michael would lock him in to make sure he didn't leave again. He was sent there to be punished, and punishment was exactly what Michael intended, even if it meant going against Dad's wishes.

And that cop… well, not only had she held on to all of her old fears, but she found brand new things to be afraid of as well. Manipulating her was child's play. The couple wasn't just consumed with the everyday worries of mortal life, they were terrified.

Lisa wasn't afraid though.

He smiled at the thought of her. If there was one thing that she would be afraid of, it was Lucifer's devil face. She was only human after all. But she should be safe from seeing that. If Lucifer had one redeeming quality, it was that he only punished the guilty, and Lisa was the furthest thing from guilty that you could find. She had a pure soul, and a wholesomeness about her that made you feel good just to be near her. No, Lucifer would never frighten her like that.

He laid down on the old cot and closed his eyes. His body's need for sleep was more than a little annoying, as was it's need for food and all the other necessities that humans had to put up with. Lisa's soup had tasted pretty good, when he slowed down to actually taste it. And lounging around with her on her couch... He had gotten so comfortable that he hadn't wanted to get up. It had been a little embarrassing having to use her restroom at first, but more time he spent with her, the more comfortable he was taking care of his body's mortal needs.

This whole thing was disconcerting, but he wasn't going to worry. He'd be out of here and back home where he belonged in no time, his body would once again retain it's angelic form, and none of these mortal afflictions would matter anymore. Darkness began closing in and sleep pulled him under before he could rid himself of the sadness he felt at the thought of leaving Lisa behind.

Sleep may have come easy for Michael that day, but he was plagued by dreams of Lisa. He missed her. But he had to push her aside so he could carry out his plans. After Lucifer was back in Hell, he would go see her. Now if that didn't motivate him, nothing would.

As it turned out, it didn't motivate him. Lucifer and Amenadiel both knew he'd stayed on Earth and were being hyper vigilant, so he had to be careful about how he went about drawing out their fears. That all by itself was holding him back, never mind that beautiful green eyed distraction who lived in the back of his mind. He had considered that Dad may have put her there to stop him from preying on his favorite son - and Lucifer was without a doubt still his favorite, no matter what he and Amenadiel discovered in that book. He smiled at the thought. He had written that book before the rebellion hoping to one day play on Lucifer's fear of not being Dad's favorite. It was his greatest fear in the beginning.

Manipulation by Dad would explain why he couldn't get Lisa out of his head. But that was ridiculous. Right? What would his dad care if he sent Lucifer running back to Hell? He hadn't shown any interest in any of his children until now - another indicator that Lucifer was his favorite. He had been tormented by his brothers, mocked, laughed at, cast aside, and dear old dad hadn't done a damned thing about it, but threaten to disrupt Lucifer's perfect little life just one time and he jumps right in.

The hatred he felt for his brother was all consuming. He absolutely had to find a way to punish him, but Lucifer's hyper vigilance was making that impossible at the moment.  
What if he just laid low for awhile? Kept his distance until his brothers lowered their guard. It was better when they weren't expecting it anyway. And while he waited them out, he could visit Lisa again. He smiled at the thought. It had been three weeks since he had last seen her. In the note, he wrote that he would see her again, but he had never meant to be gone this long. Yes. He would wait his brothers out with Lisa.

He took a good look around the abandoned cafeteria where he had rushed through another pilfered meal. If he was going to stay, he was definitely going to need better living arrangements. It would never do to bring Lisa here. Well, maybe to explore the grounds at night, he had a feeling she would like that.

He also had to acquire the household essentials - dishes, pots and pans, furniture, a phone, a nice warm blanket that Lisa could curl up in. He'd have to stock up on food too. And some of that sweet tea that Lisa loved.

He would need some clothes as well. He wouldn't need much, just a couple of outfits that weren't worn thin, and didn't look like he'd just been in a brawl. He supposed he'd have start using the laundry mat as well - humans had a thing about smells. He could sneak into Lucifer's penthouse and help himself to some essentials. Lucifer had so many suits he would never miss a few, but the thought of his brother's stiff, starchy wardrobe made him wince. His turtlenecks and cotton slacks were much more comfortable.

Wouldn't he need a car? Lucifer and Amenadiel both had one. Lisa didn't though. She also didn't stray very far from her apartment. He, on the other hand, would need to travel all over the city.

He sighed in frustration at the mounting list of things he needed just to survive here. Why would his brothers choose this complicated life over the worry free existence in the Silver City? Then he saw Lisa, smiling at him in her sleep. Well, he thought, maybe life here on Earth here wasn't all that complicated after all.


	5. Michael

Michael landed on the roof if Lisa's apartment building just before dawn. He shared his brother's talent for unlocking doors, so he quietly opened the door to the stairwell that led down to the apartments. The door that opened to the fourth floor was unlocked, but he had to work his magic on Lisa's door to get into her apartment.

Without making a sound, he walked over to her bed and knelt down beside her. She looked so peaceful. Her cheeks were flushed with sleep, there was a thin line of drool that trailed from the corner of her partially opened mouth to her pillow, her hair was an absolute rat's nest, and her long thin body was curled around her pillow. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

She looked so fragile in her sleep that it made him want to crawl into the bed behind her, pull her close to his body, and wrap her in the safety of his wings.

He didn't have much time. She would wake up soon, and he didn't think it was a great idea to be there when she did. In all honesty, he shouldn't have come at all, but once he pushed his plans for Lucifer aside the thought of seeing her again to took control of him and he couldn't stay away. He needed to see her. Just for a moment.

He brushed the hair away from her ear and leaned in as close as he could. "I'll see you soon.", he whispered before leaving a kiss on her cheek. Her smile was bigger than it had been the last time he kissed her, and it lasted much longer. Either she was happy to see him again, or she was on the verge of waking up. He chose to believe the former, but he pulled away from her anyway. Soon.

A smile graced his own lips as he backed away from the bed. His heart was light, and for the first time in a millennia he felt truly happy.

Michael felt a weird fluttering in his stomach as he approached Lisa's apartment building. He was excited, kind of nervous, and a little scared. He'd spent the last two hours in a coffee shop giving her time to wake up and start her day. While he was there, he overheard a woman talking to her friend about being ghosted by her boyfriend. At first, he thought she meant that the man had died and she thought his spirit was haunting her, but the more she talked about him the clearer it became that the man had simply stopped talking to her. There was no contact whatsoever - no phone calls, no text messages, he wasn't answering his phone. According to her, it was like she never meant anything to him. It had only been a week and she was already looking for someone new.

Shit.

He hadn't meant to do that to Lisa, he was just trying to finish his business with Lucifer so he could focus all of his attention on her. He didn't want to be distracted by his brother and possibly ruin whatever it was they had. Or could have. She would understand that, right?

Shit.

He had left the coffee shop in the middle of the poor girl's tirade and hurried the two blocks to Lisa's place.

The stoop was crowded this morning. She was sitting on one side of the top step, his three admirers and an elderly man had claimed the four plastic chairs, and the gay couple who lived across the hall from Lisa had taken their places on the steps across from her. The front door opened and Leon walked out with two cups of coffee. He handed one to Ms. Pearl, took a cinnamon roll from the platter on the small plastic table and took a seat on the step below Lisa.

Michael slowed his pace a little. If Lisa was angry with him, he didn't want anyone around to witness the confrontation, not that it was in any way avoidable. He stopped at the end of the walkway and took a deep breath then walked toward the group. She looked so pretty in the jeans and oversized sweater she had on.

"Well, if it isn't that tall drink of water come back again." Ms. Bea was the first one to see him. Her announcement caused the others to turn around to look, which he hated to admit was a little embarrassing.

"I didn't know Ed started a delivery service." Ms. Pearl grinned with an exaggerated wink.

Lisa's sweet face immediately twisted into an almost demonic scowl. "What are you doing here?" The question sounded more like a threat. She met him at the bottom step. "You spend an entire day with me talking and having fun, and, and… stuff. And you just disappear? Why did you even bother leaving that note when you never even planned on coming back?" She hit him in the chest in her anger. Tears streamed down her face and her chest heaved with labored breaths. He could see her trying to find more words to throw at him. His chest ached at the sight. He started to reply, but she cut him off. "I thought we had something." Her voice was shaky at the end and she couldn't go on, so she turned away from him and ran into the building.

The confrontation hurt him worse than he would have thought possible, and the truth of what he'd done to her punched him in the gut - she wasn't angry at him, she was hurt.

"Well, don't just stand there." The old man told him. "Go after her!"

He obeyed, although it seemed pretty futile at the moment.

"Don't forget to beg!" Ms. Pearl called out. "You won't get her back otherwise."

"And don't take the elevator." Leon called after him. "It only works about half the time. You'll get stuck in there."

Michael took the well intentioned advice and ran up the stairs two at a time. By the time he made it to the fourth floor, Lisa was just closing her door.

"Lisa!" He called out as he knocked on the door. "Please. Let me explain." He could have walked in after her, but he wanted her to let him in. He wanted her to want him there. He put his hands on the door frame and leaned into it. The seconds passed by like minutes without a sound from her. It couldn't end like this, not before it even started.  
"Please." He never had to beg before and he wasn't completely sure he was doing it right.

The longer he waited, the more convinced he was that she wasn't going to let him in. He finally pushed himself off the door frame and took a step back. He could force her to listen to him. Just one small glimpse of his true angelic presence would humble her, stun her into submission long enough for him to talk to her, maybe get through to her how he felt.

How he felt? He swallowed the growl that wanted to accompany the thought. He was turning into a…

The door opened suddenly and her beautiful, tear stained face greeted him. She didn't say anything, or maybe she couldn't, but she did stand aside to let him in. That was all he needed. He hoped.

"I'm sorry." He had no idea how else to begin, but this felt right.

"Why didn't you call, or write a note, or come by the diner, or something. Anything. You just left, and you never came back." If he didn't know better, he would swear he could see her heart literally being torn to shreds.

He felt a pain in his chest that he hadn't felt since he was young, when his brothers and sisters tormented him and Mom and Dad were too busy with their own lives to pay any attention to him.

"I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"Then why? Why would you just leave like that?"

He swallowed the lies that automatically surfaced. For the first time in his life, he wanted to tell the truth.

"I have some business with Lucifer that I need to deal with." He began carefully. There was only so much that he could tell her. "It was the reason I came to LA in the first place. I thought that I could deal with him and then we could be together. Spend time together, I mean." She was actually listening to him, so he continued. "I thought I'd be done with him by now. I never mean to stay away for so long." He held her gaze as he stepped toward her. "I'm sorry, Lisa."

She swallowed hard and looked away from him. He held his breath in anticipation for what could be the end of the relationship they never had.

Finally, she lifted her face to look him in the eye. "What kind of business do you have with Lucifer?"

Michael was so sure that she was going to throw him out that he was stunned into silence. Before he could say anything she held up her hand to stop him from speaking.  
"And don't lie to me." Her tears had stopped, but she was still upset. She was also determined. "If you don't want to tell me, or can't tell me, just say it. I can live with secrets, Michael, but I will not live with a liar."

He nodded his head to acknowledge that he understood what she meant, then he dropped his eyes to the floor. What was he supposed to say? That he was pissed at Lucifer for picking on him when they were kids, and he finally found a way to get back at him? That was pretty much it and it sounded embarrassingly childish, even if the thought of Lucifer still being here enraged him.

He looked into her eyes again. "It's personal and I'd rather not talk about it. At least not right now."

She held his gaze and sniffled the last of her tears away. "Ok." She started to turn away, but stopped. There was more, but he wasn't nearly as afraid of what she had to say now as he had been a few minutes ago. "This is your second chance, Michael. I have a very hard time trusting people. Especially men. I just can't be with a man I don't trust. Please don't let me down again."

"I won't. I promise." It surprised him how much he meant those words. He reached out and gently took her face in his hand and smiled. She covered his hand with hers and smiled back at him, then sniffled again.

He watched her walk into the bathroom, and a moment later heard her blowing her nose. He had never been more relieved as he was right then. All she wanted was to hear from him when he wasn't there. He could do that. In fact, he looked forward to doing it.


	6. Lisa

Lisa smiled as she wiped the crumbs off the table and pocketed the tip. Michael had come back. She was way happier about that than she should have been. She had never been very close to anyone before, but even on the night they met she felt a really strong connection to him that she couldn't explain. It was weird. He was like a magnet that she couldn't help being drawn to.

When the bell above the door rang, she turned to greet her newest customers. The smile immediately fell from her face. She didn't know what was going on between Michael and Lucifer, but she did know how badly it bothered Michael, and that made her not want his twin brother in her diner. She grabbed two menus from behind the counter, plastered a smile on her face, and went to the booth where Lucifer and his friend had seated themselves.

"Can I get you gentlemen something to drink?" She kept the smile in place as she handed each of them a menu. She wasn't going to let on that she knew Michael - quite frankly, it was none of their business - and there was absolutely no reason to remind Lucifer of their evening at Lux. Funny, ever since meeting Michael, memories of that night didn't bother her nearly as much as they use to. Even though she had convinced herself that his rejection was a good thing - just look at all the STDs she probably avoided - it had still hurt her to watch her sisters in the arms of the man whom she had just spent the entire evening with. But now, not so much. Not at all, actually. A genuine smile replaced the professional one.

"Two fingers of your finest Scotch, please Love." Lucifer said in his sexier than necessary British accent.

"Coffee it is. And for you?" She asked the very good looking black man sitting across from him.

He laughed at her response to Lucifer's request then ordered a coffee for himself. As she walked away, she heard a deep, silky voice say, "I'm telling you Luci, I saw him in here last night."

She didn't hear Lucifer respond and when she returned with their coffees a moment later he was watching her as if trying to place where he had seen her before.  
"Are you ready to order?" She was staring to feel a little uncomfortable under Lucifer's stare.

"We'll just have the coffee, thanks.", the friend answered for both of them. He gave her a killer smile, which she returned in kind, before she took the menus back.

"Ok. Would you like some creamer for that?" She asked the stranger because apparently Lucifer wasn't speaking to her.

"Black is fine."

"Then black it'll be." She gave him a smile and turned to leave the two of them in peace. Just as she started to walk away, she was stopped by a large hand on her arm. It was amazing how much he felt like Michael and how very different. She turned back to him with her smile still in place.

"Don't I know you?" Lucifer sounded genuinely confused.

"I don't think so."

"No, I do know you. It was years ago…" He narrowed his eyes as if fitting her into one of the pictures he kept in his head. "You're Lisa."

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers and her mouth fell open in absolute shock. That had been over eight years ago; how in the hell could he possibly remember her name?

"Yes, that's it. You were at a bachelorette party at Lux. That's where I know you from! How have you been?" His obvious joy at seeing her again lit up his eyes, and she couldn't help but smile at the pleasure it gave her to be remembered.

"I've been good." She answered cautiously. She was still very stunned by his memory. Did he seriously remember the name of every single person he had ever flirted with? Because there was no way she had been memorable enough on her own.

The bell above the door rang, drawing her attention away from him and saving her from what was quickly becoming an awkward situation.  
"Excuse me." She left the men to see to the cops who had just claimed the corner booth.

"Is there anyone in LA that you haven't slept with, Luci?" Lisa heard the handsome black man ask.

"I didn't sleep with her, Amenadiel. I slept with her sisters."

"Her sisters." Amenadiel's tone wasn't exactly inquisitive, but it was quite judgmental.

"Yes, both of them." Lucifer sounded almost as if he were in awe of himself. Her sisters were exactly the kind of women she imagined he would be attracted to - they were drop dead gorgeous with their perfect skin, and perfect hair, and expensive clothes. Unlike their plain jane middle sister. She scowled at herself for allowing these thoughts even come to mind. After all, she had Michael back, and that was something her sisters would never have. The thought put a huge smile on her face.

She put on a fresh pot of coffee, then took the half empty pot with her to Lucifer's table. She snuck a glance at Amenadiel while she refilled their mostly full cups. He was just as handsome as Lucifer was, but in a completely different way. Michael hadn't described his physical appearance, but he nailed Amenadiel's personality to a tee. At least what she could see of it.  
If they wanted to spy on Michael, Amenadiel should have come on his own. No one would have ever guessed they were brothers. And speaking of brothers, how did identical twin brothers, who grew up together, have completely different accents? Maybe she'd ask Michael later.

She spent the next hour or so refilling sugar and salt shakers, napkin dispensers, and doing the thousand other things that needed to be done before closing time. The low drone of voices made a comfortable atmosphere. Even Lucifer's accent, which was completely out of place with the others, eventually became part of the chorus. Once she had finished every possible thing she could find to do and everyone's coffee had been refilled again, she pulled one of the bar stools behind the register and sat down.

Michael had taken up residence in her head while she busied herself with the mundane, as he always did. She couldn't believe that he had come back to her. After all those weeks of pining over him, and she had tried really hard not to pine, he had finally come back. She wasn't nearly as mad at him for ghosting her as she was at herself for letting it get to her the way it had. But whatever. Something deep inside her was certain that he was hers now.

They had spent that first morning together catching up on what they'd been doing over the past three weeks. Well, she had. He had been vague and cryptic about his activities. All he would say was that it had something to do with Lucifer. She really did respect his privacy and didn't want to pry, but she really wanted to know why his brother, who he didn't even like, was taking up so much of his time and energy. She supposed she could ask Lucifer… She squelched the thought almost as soon as it formed. She wasn't getting in the middle of that business until she had to, and Lucifer had better start praying that she didn't have to.

Once she and Michael had caught up on their not-so-glorious lives, they had basically picked up where they left off on that first night. She was still a little nervous that he would disappear again. An insecurity which he squelched every evening when he showed up at the end of her shift to walk her home and each morning when she heard the light snoring coming from the couch a few feet away from where she was sleeping.

She glanced over at the oddest pair of brothers she had probably ever seen. From this angle she could see most of Lucifer's profile. If Michael had been sitting there, his scar would have been completely hidden from view, and she would be looking at the exact same face. That was really weird.

She leaned her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her hand, and let thoughts of Michael take her far away from there. Her eyes had that dreamy far away look about them, and she could feel her mouth curve into the same infatuated smile she had seen in so many movies when she was little. She felt like she was living in the scene of the sappiest Hallmark movie ever made, and it was all Michael's fault. She sighed dreamily.

"That is, without a doubt, the prettiest smile I've seen all week." Amenadiel's deep, silky voice yanked her back into reality.

"Sorry." She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Who's the lucky man?" Lucifer asked with a grin as Amenadiel paid her for the coffees.

"Michael." Just saying his name made her smile again.

"Michael." The smile left Lucifer's face and he leaned forward on the counter. "Does he, by any chance, look just like me?"

She handed Amenadiel his change. "Why would you think he looks like you?" Not a lie, but not an answer either.

"We're looking for our brother, Michael. He and Lucifer are twins." Amenadiel clarified. He shot Lucifer a warning look that made her want to tell them both to go to Hell.

Lisa leaned on the counter, bringing her face close to Amenadiel's. "You see that guy over there?" She pointed to the booth where the cops were working. "His name is Michael. So is the taxi driver that likes to stare at the all the old ladies. And the mailman who comes in here in the evenings to hide from his wife."

"Point taken." The look on Amenadiel's face said that he was not impressed. Lucifer's laughter, however, screamed of delight. "If you do see him, would you please give me a call?" 

He wrote his name and number on the back of his receipt and handed it to her. "Thanks."

"Goodnight, Lisa." Lucifer gave her a authentic smile, as if they were old friends instead of, whatever they had been.

"Goodnight." As she watched him walk away, she was reminded of exactly why she had been so attracted to him at Lux that night. If nothing else, Lucifer Morningstar was very charming.

"Last call!" She announced to the officers in the back. They signaled for a refill, and by closing time were wishing her a goodnight.


	7. Michael

Michael watched Lucifer and Amenadiel through the window of the diner from across the street. His own devil face damn near came out when he saw Lucifer grab Lisa's arm to stop her from walking away from him. He only wanted to talk to her, but still… What he wouldn't give to hear what they had been talking about. No doubt it was him. They were still worried about what he was planning to do to them, if he was going to involve their women or baby Charlie. To be honest, he hadn't paid his brothers very much attention over the last few weeks. He had been so consumed by Lisa that he simply hadn't thought about them.

Aside from Lisa refilling their coffees every once in awhile, they didn't speak to her again until they were ready to leave. She'd had the dreamiest look on her face when the angels approached the counter to pay their tab, like she was day dreaming about her true love. True love - there was just no other way to describe that look. She had that look on her face a lot. He liked to pretend that he was the one she was thinking about, that he was the love of her life, but why would someone as wonderful as Lisa choose weaselly, cowardly Michael when there were men like Lucifer within her reach. Jealousy bit him at the thought of Lucifer having her, and he shook it away. Never mind the impossible happening, he was just so very happy that she was his friend. That was something else he never really had, a true friend. She really was amazing.

Lucifer's voice pulled him from his thoughts. He still had another forty-five minutes before Lisa would be ready to leave, so he followed his brothers to Lucifer's car parked a few blocks away. They were talking about him, naturally; wondering where he was, what he had been up to. Amenadiel had actually gone back to the Silver City looking for him. He chuckled at the thought. Watching them squirm was almost better than what he had come up with to punish his younger brother. Mmmm… all that fear just waiting to be used.  
Michael felt a twinge of guilt at the thought, but he shook it off. He had been tormented his entire life by that blowhard, and it was time he pay for it. Another obstacle he had to avoid, aside from the angelic hyper vigilance, was Dad. He had enjoyed his visit to Earth so much that he decided to stay for a bit, or so he had learned earlier that day when he'd gone to Amenadiel's apartment. That didn't change anything, it only meant that he would have to wait a little longer to carry out his plan. Or come up with an even better one, and he could definitely do that.

Lisa's face very suddenly intruded on his thoughts. What would she do if she were in his shoes? She wasn't close to her sisters, but she hadn't been tormented by them either. At least he didn't think she had. He didn't realize it before, but she didn't talk about her childhood very much. She was so happy and so full of life that he had just assumed that she had had a wonderful life growing up.

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he hadn't realized that they had made it to the Corvette until his brothers started to pull away from the curb. With a curse, he leaped behind a dumpster as they drove past to keep from being seen.

"Hey! You got some money you can loan me?" The man who had asked looked exactly the way you would think a homeless person would look. He was dirty and wearing what rags he could find, and he needed a bath, badly.

"No." Michael answered as he turned to go back to meet Lisa. The thought of seeing her washed away the turmoil that raged inside him and left him feeling - something. He didn't think it was love. He had watched Lucifer and his cop very closely over these past weeks. They were in love, but what they had looked like nothing compared to what Michael felt.  
He took a deep breath and let it out in a big, happy sigh. Lisa had taught him to recognize the smell of rain in the air, and if he had learned correctly, they were going to get caught in a shower if they didn't leave soon.

He took his place against the wall next to the door. He had started waiting for her outside so he wouldn't distract her from her work, like he had done that first night. That night she had spilled an entire pot of coffee, dropped a bin full of clean silverware on the floor, over filled a sugar dispenser, and tipped over the bucket of mop water. She was adorable when she was flustered.

"Hey." The touch of Lisa's hand on his arm brought him back into the present. He had been so deep in thought that he hadn't heard the bell above the door ring, or Lisa and Grant saying goodnight.

"You look like you're a million miles away." Her smile was infectious and he returned it immediately.

"Just thinking."

"Well, that's nice and cryptic." She gave him a kind of inquisitive, slightly accusatory look, and then let it go. He loved that about her, that she didn't pry into his personal business even though it was clear that she wanted to. "So, how was your evening? Do anything fun?" She grinned. She was forever trying to get him to let loose and have some fun.  
A roll of thunder in the distance stopped him from replying immediately. They both looked toward the sound and then back to each other. In silent agreement, they turned in the direction of the apartment and began walking home.

"I wouldn't call it fun." He heard her sigh when he didn't elaborate. She wanted so badly to get to know him better, but how was he supposed to tell her the truth - that he was an archangel, one of God's most powerful warriors, protector of mankind, and he was here on Earth to get back at his twin brother for being mean to him?  
"How was your evening?"

She gave him a sideways look before answering. "It was interesting. Lucifer and Amenadiel came in for coffee."

He tried to look surprised at the news, but she wasn't buying it. "What did they want?" He asked cautiously. He didn't want her to feel like he was prying her for information, but he had to know if they had found him. It could disrupt his plans, and he had been so distracted by his Lisa earlier that he hadn't heard the last of his brothers' conversation.

"At first, Lucifer was just remembering where he knew me from. With the reputation he has, I can't believe he remembered me. He even remembered my name."

He scowled a little at her delight in being remembered by Lucifer and had to remind himself that she didn't know about his brother's angelic memory. Still, he usually only remembered the names of the women - and men - he actually slept with. He gave her an accusatory look that she didn't see, but took it back. He could tell when people were lying to him, and while she never elaborated on her night with Lucifer, she hadn't lied about it.

"They didn't really talk to me again until they were ready to leave. I was daydreaming about you." She stopped talking abruptly and when a few seconds had passed, he looked down at her. She was biting her bottom lip, and she had this look of panic on her face that was so cute he almost missed her confession completely.

After an awkward moment she continued, "Amenadiel said that they were looking for their brother, Michael, and that he was Lucifer's twin. He also gave me his number and asked me to call him if I saw you."

"Why didn't you tell them you know me?"

"It's none of their business." She answered with a shrug. "Besides, I'm not getting in the middle of whatever beef you have with Lucifer. I mean, I will if I have to, but you're big boys, you should be able to figure it out for yourselves."

He smiled at the thought of sweet, lovable, little Lisa going up against the devil to protect her archangel. He had to bite his tongue from laughing out loud at the incredibly clear image that painted in his head.

The first drops of rain started to fall the moment they turned onto their street and the couple took off running as fast as they could. He reached the stoop in no time and when he turned back around, he saw Lisa walking up the walkway with her arms outstretched and face lifted to the sky with the look of absolute pleasure on her face. She jumped in a puddle, twice, before finishing her sodden journey to the shelter of the covered porch.

"He living here now?" The whisky roughened voice caught them both off guard.

"Oh. Hi George." Lisa greeted the weathered looking man they hadn't seen sitting in one of the chairs. "This is Michael."

"Mm hm." George didn't seem too impressed.

"He's um… Well, I guess he is living here now." She gave him one of her best smiles. "I mean, I didn't ask him to move in, but he has been staying with me."

George nodded his head and mumbled, "Alright.", then went back to the business of watching the rain fall.

"Well, goodnight George." She took Michael's hand and led him into the building.

Michael heard the man mumble "Night." as the door closed behind them.

"Who was that?"

"George? He owns the building. He's also our maintenance guy. If you ever have any problems in the apartment, just call him." She glanced behind her as she spoke, but didn't slow her pace.

Her statement was very matter of fact, but he could hear the note of excitement just below the surface. He didn't say anything else as they climbed the last two floors to the fourth floor.

Once they were safe and sound inside her - their - apartment she turned to him. "I didn't mean to pressure you into moving in with me or anything, but you have been spending the nights here." She was getting flustered. "I mean, you can't stay at that zoo forever, right? It'll only be until you find a place. If you even want to stay with me. You don't have to. Oh man, I sound bossy. What I mean to say is…"

Michael grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her. He didn't mean to do it, but the love, and it was definitely love that had been consuming him, was too overwhelming in that moment to contain and he had to act on it. He kept his lips pressed to hers until he felt her arms draped around his neck. When he finally did pull away, he was met with the loveliest smile he had ever seen.


	8. Michael

Michael's heart pounded in his chest. He had no idea what to do next. Kiss her again? Walk away like he had all those other times he'd wanted to kiss her? He hadn't wanted her to think he was only there to sleep with her, so he had pushed her away whenever it felt like he was about to lose control, like he had just done. And because he wasn't exactly sure how to go about actually having sex with her. He knew the logistics of the act, thanks to Lucifer. He had seen the television in the penthouse and thought it would be fun to see what his twin considered entertainment. The power had come on and the screen was instantly filled with the extremely graphic display of human sexual interaction. It took him a full minute to come to his senses and turn the blasted thing off. Now he was here, with an angel in his arms and very little knowledge of what to do with her.

The hope in her eyes began to wane, and with her smile still in place, she started to pull away from him in anticipation of his normal awkward pre-kiss recession. But before she could back away from him, he slid one hand into her hair and wrapped the other around her waist, and pulled her in close.

Without thinking too much about it, he pressed his lips to hers again and was rewarded with a sigh that sounded like pure happiness, while her arms resumed their place around his neck. Her response emboldened him to deepen the kiss. He had tried so hard to forget the way that cop had kissed him, but now he was desperately trying to remember how she had done it. The moment Lisa felt his lips start to open, she opened her mouth in a silent invitation, which he accepted by sliding his tongue between her lips.

Her mouth was hot and wet, and her tongue was soft. He tasted the strawberry milkshake she must have just finished near the end of her shift and underneath that was the more subtle and savory flavor of seasoned beef and salty potatoes that had no doubt been her dinner. His tongue scraped gently along her teeth feeling the hard, slightly roughened edges of the bones she used to tear her food.

While he was exploring her mouth, she had begun to return his kiss. The feeling of her tongue invading his mouth, exploring it's recesses, tangled in a love battle with his own… He never imagined a simple kiss could feel so good.

The love she felt for him echoed silently as their tongues danced. It was a feeling so foreign to him that it couldn't possibly be real, and he was in no hurry for it to end. She didn't seem to be in any hurry to end it either. She pulled herself closer to him, settling her body into his. The kiss deepened, if that was even possible, pulling Michael further and further into a world where only he and Lisa existed. A world built on half truths and secrets. Making love to her now without telling her the truth about himself, would be the ultimate manipulation and she did not deserve that.

He made himself pull away from her. "I can't do this." He forced the words out of his mouth - the same mouth she had so sweetly invaded just seconds before.  
The hope in her eyes fell away which left her looking rejected and hurt. That look shattered something deep inside him.

She whispered "Ok" with a slight nod of her head, accepting his rejection with as much dignity as her broken heart could allow. Without another word, she walked over to the dresser, pulled a nightgown and panties out of the top drawer and went into the bathroom.

He took the moment alone to peel off his wet clothes and slip into a clean pair of pajama pants and a tee shirt. He hadn't meant to hurt her, but it couldn't be helped. He had never lied to her, but hadn't been completely honest with her either. Well, that was about to change.

He wasn't worried about her believing that he was an angel, he could always show her his wings as proof, but he wasn't sure if she could accept him; not just because he was an angel, but because of his true nature. He'd spent his entire existence manipulating others and playing on their fears. It was second nature to him.  
The bathroom door opened and he watched Lisa walk across the apartment to the kitchen. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"You wanna fire up Netflix while I make us some popcorn?" She started rummaging through the cabinet looking for the popcorn kernels.

"No."

She stopped what she was doing to look at him. "Oh gosh, you haven't eaten yet, have you? We've got that lasagna Steve made. I'll heat it up for you."

He walked over to the stove, reached around her and turned the oven off. "We need to talk." His words came out a little more cryptic than he'd meant them to.  
She turned around so that she was facing him. "You don't have to explain anything."

"I know." He let his fingertips dance across her cheek while he held her gaze. "I want to be with you, Lisa, but I can't. Not like this. Not until you know the truth about me."

"Why do I feel like you're about to tell me you're a serial killer or something?"

He laughed out loud at that. "It's not that bad, I promise. But it is important."

She nodded in response. He took her hand and led her to the couch where they settled into the cushions facing each other so they could talk.

"Lisa." He began, mostly because he loved the sound of her name and there was a good chance that he wouldn't be around to say it to her anymore.

"You know I would never lie to you." She nodded her head in response. "Well, the thing is…" He hesitated. Shit, this was hard. He looked into her eyes, trying desperately to convey the truth as he spoke the words. "I'm an angel."

Her face showed absolutely no reaction. It was obvious that she didn't believe him, but the silence was killing him. She could at least laugh at him, or scream, call him a liar, anything.

"You're an angel." She confirmed and he nodded his head yes. "An angel. I'm thinking you mean angel as in an immortal being, created at the beginning of time, who lives in Heaven, and has wings and a halo; and not so much as in mommy's sweet little angel boy."

"Yes. Except for the halo part. I don't have a halo."

He could see her studying him, looking for a punch line to some elaborate joke or maybe just an outright lie. He lowered his defenses so she could see down into his soul, see that he was telling the truth.

After what seemed an eternity, she slowly nodded her head. "Ok." She smiled as she uttered the word. "You're Michael, the angel." She gasp suddenly and her eyes grew bigger. "You're Michael. You're not just an angel, you're an archangel. Pops' most powerful warrior."

"Pops?" Michael burst into laughter. "I've never heard anyone call him that before. Where in the world did you get that from?"

His laughter made her giggle. "When I was little, our preacher use to say that God was our father. You know, our Father who art in Heaven, and all that? Well, we always called my father "Pops", so that's what I started calling God. I guess it stuck." She looked a little embarrassed at the confession. "You really are an angel."

"Yes." It was not a question, but he answered anyway.

She nodded, the look on her face was one of sudden realization. She looked into his eyes again. "I fell in love with an angel." The smile of happy disbelief vanished and her eyes grew wide again and she gasped. "No… I fell in love with an archangel." She finished the sentence with a huge smile, which vanished almost immediately. "Am I allowed to do that? I mean, is Pops gonna smite me for falling in love with, and possibly corrupting, his most powerful angel?"

Michael laughed again. "I don't think so. Lucifer's been doing it for a millennia, and Amenadiel had a baby with a human woman. I'm pretty sure you're safe."

She smiled again, and again the smile fell from her face. "If you're Michael, that means Lucifer is the devil. Like, the actual devil."

He nodded in agreement, but she didn't give him a chance to reply. "That means I danced with the devil. I literally danced with the devil." Her smile turned a little self congratulatory. "That's kind of badass."

That made him laugh again. She was taking this so much better than he thought she would.

"I guess blessings do come in disguise." She continued, more to herself than to him.

"What do you mean?" She had his interest peaked. She was always finding the positive in negative situations, but in this context it was a little disconcerting. 

"If Lucifer hadn't rejected me that night, I would have ended up sleeping with him, and sex with the devil sounds like the kind of thing that would get you sent straight to Hell."

He should have laughed at the comment, but what she'd said about being rejected by Lucifer reminded him a little too much of her reaction to him when he'd ended their kiss. No wonder she had been crying.

"So what are you doing here? On Earth, I mean. I get the feeling it isn't to find a girlfriend."

"No." His smile faltered a little. Now was the time to confess his obsession with punishing Lucifer.

He started at the beginning, when they were young and Lucifer had already been deemed Dad's favorite. He told her about impersonating Lucifer in order to get under his skin, and about how their brothers and sisters always sided with Lucifer. He told her about the rebellion and how it had been Lucifer who had disfigured him during the battle. About how he had manipulated Lucifer into starting the rebellion, seducing Eve, and eventually leaving Hell to vacation in LA. He told her about how even after Lucifer had been sent to rule over Hell, he was still Dad's favorite, and how that cop, Chloe Decker, had been created specifically for Lucifer to fall in love with. He told her how everyone praised Lucifer for going back to Hell voluntarily after his demons had escaped and threatened their nephew. He explained that no matter what he did, or how hard he tried, he had never been as loved or accepted as his perfect little brother, and how that had ultimately driven him here to destroy Lucifer's life on Earth. Then he told her about his dads' coming to Earth to stop him from destroying his brother, and forbidding him from interfering in Lucifer's life again.

It took him hours to tell her everything and she had listened to him, captivated by his tale. He could see the myriad of questions swimming around in her head as he spoke. There was so much she wanted to ask him.

He watched her face carefully after he finished speaking. The more she thought about what he'd said, the sadder her expression became. Was this the end of him and Lisa? He knew it was an extraordinary tale and he could understand how it could be hard for her to believe it. Or maybe she did believe him and sided with his siblings.

Finally, he couldn't take the silence anymore. "Are you ok?"

She lifted her face and looked him in the eye, as she so often did. "Yeah." She didn't sound ok. "I was just thinking how awful it must have been for you."

That was definitely not what he had expected to hear. "What do you mean?" He didn't think she was only talking about the sibling rivalry, which when you thought about it, and he tried hard not to, that's really all it had been.

She shrugged her shoulders slightly as she began to speak. "I mean, how awful it must have been knowing your identical twin brother was your dad's favorite. I can't even imagine." Her voice trailed off and she let the silence pull her back into thought.

He watched her as she continued to take it all in. She had believed that he was an angel without any physical proof. It kind of made him want to show her his wings just to see her reaction. He had a feeling she would love them.

"I can understand how hard it was for you growing up, but that's all over now. Why are you still so obsessed with hurting Lucifer?"

Her question rendered him speechless. Why was he still so hell bent on punishing Lucifer? Michael was the reason his twin was in LA to begin with. Ruling Hell had been used as punishment for a reason, how could he blame his brother for not wanting to go back?

He shot her a dirty look and she shrugged her shoulders at him in return as if to say, "When I'm right, I'm right." He didn't want her to be right. He pouted about it until she started laughing at him.

"You look like a little boy whose mom just told him no."

That earned her another dirty look before he smiled.

"Is this why you look so miserable sometimes?" Her voice was soft and full of compassion. She really did care about him.

"Yes." He didn't want to admit it, but he didn't think she asked because she didn't know the answer. They sat in a comfortable silence just watching each other, as they often did. He still wanted her, but they'd been talking for so long and her eyes were starting to look red and tired. It had been a long and emotional night and he could see sleep coming for her.

He reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek and was rewarded with a smile. It was almost as if nothing had happened. Her eyelids slowly began to close, but she was fighting it, as she always did. She never said it, but he got the feeling that she hated falling asleep.

Once he was sure that she was sleeping, he stood up, scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed. Instead of tucking her in this time he climbed beneath the covers behind her, pulled her close to his body, and fell asleep with her in his arms.


	9. Michael

Michael woke up slowly from his sleep with the warmth of the sun shining through the windows and the warmth of Lisa's body radiating from under the covers. Seriously, it was really hot under there; and not like body heat hot, but like I'm baking in an oven hot. How could she stand it? As gently as he could he pulled his arm out from under her and sat up long enough to pull his tee shirt off and toss it to the floor. Rather than wrapping her in his arms again, he leaned on his elbow so that he could watch her sleep. She looked so lovely. Her cheeks were pink with the warmth of sleep, and there was a hint of the smile that never truly left her lips.

Memories of the night before came flooding back. He told her who he really was, confessed every manipulative thing he had ever done, and let her in on why he was in LA and how he planned to destroy his brother. She had taken it all in with a compassion no one had ever shown him before, and wasn't afraid to point out how pointless his revenge on Lucifer actually was. Most importantly, she had believed him. She could have laughed at him thinking it was some kind of joke, or gotten angry with him for lying, but she put her faith in him and trusted that he was telling her the truth. He'd never felt so good about himself as he did at that moment. And never had he loved anyone as much as he loved this human.  
His little furnace stirred as she woke, then stretched her arms over her head as she rolled onto her back. She gave him a soft, lazy smile as her hand reached up to touch his face.  
He returned the smile as he brushed the hair away from her face. His eyes lingered there taking in the almond shape of her eyes, the curve of her eyebrows, her high cheekbones. He rested his fingertips on the curve of her jaw and lightly ran his thumb across her full, slightly parted lips.

He leaned down to claim those lips slipping his tongue between them the way he had done it last night, then deepening the kiss almost immediately. He had dreamt of that kiss; the taste of her, the feel of her tongue in his mouth. He could spend a millennia locked in this kiss with her and he would still want more. She reciprocated the kiss in kind with soft sighs and an occasional moan of pleasure. She tangled her fingers in his hair and explored the contour of the muscles that covered his exposed body. He wasn't sure if her exploration of his body was for self pleasure, although he was almost completely sure that it was, or if she were encouraging him to do the same. Maybe both?

Despite the physical exploration, she seemed to be in no hurry to end the kiss, or move on to sex. Oh Dad. What if she expected him to have sex with her? Could he do it right? Was she going to enjoy it? Was he?

He had to consciously put an end to his thoughts before he ruined the part he was actually getting right. He wasn't an over thinker like Amenadiel, nor was he impulsive like Lucifer. He was a planner, and being here with no plan was starting to mess with his head.

He hadn't meant to end the kiss, but he found himself looking down into Lisa's face terrified suddenly of the unknown.

"Are you ok?" Her voice was filled with concern, but her eyes told him that she probably knew what was going on. When he didn't answer, she smiled gently and let her fingertips skim across his cheek. "Do whatever comes naturally to you, and only what you're comfortable with."

He continued to stare deep into her eyes. She meant exactly what she said. She wasn't mocking him, or trying to pressure him into to do anything, she wanted him to enjoy it - to enjoy her. He suddenly felt very relaxed, even if he wasn't completely confident in his abilities, and returned her smile.

"I love your smile, you know." Her confession and the smile that accompanied it distracted him from his self imposed dilemma.

He reclaimed her lips without thought and allowed his hand to wander down the slim column of her throat to her collar bone and over the nightgown that covered her. The cotton felt stiff compared to the softness of her skin. It was thin and worn, and did little to hide the body that lay beneath it. He pulled away from the kiss so he could see what his hand had discovered. The curve of her breasts lifted the fabric slightly above her chest, her nipples which were noticeably darker, erected the gown just faintly higher than the swell of her flesh.

His breath quickened at the sight. Taking hold of the blanket that still covered them, he tossed it aside so he could see whatever else was hiding beneath it.  
He watched her nipples harden as the cool air of the apartment invaded the warmth of their bed. Incredible. He reached out to touch it, to feel the hardness he had inadvertently created. Her chest rose to meet his fingers and he heard a sharp inhale of breath that sounded like pleasure. He chanced a look at her face, not completely sure he wanted to know what he had done. Her eyes were a darker shade of green than they had been a moment ago, and he could almost feel her desire for him.

He turned his attention back to her chest. Her nightgown was suddenly in his way, so he pulled it up over her head and dropped it somewhere behind him. The sight of her bare flesh sent the even more blood rushing between his legs. He had been hard since he first kissed her, but he was absolutely throbbing now, causing him to rub against his pajama pants. Although he didn't dislike the feeling, he took a moment to pull them off so that he could feel her skin against his flesh. He looked down to see the moisture seeping out of him and onto her thigh. The sight gave him the kind of thrill like he'd never known before.

His eyes drifted up over her body, the scene interrupted briefly by the pink cotton panties that covered the junction between her legs, the place where he would slide into her and fill her with his sperm.

He stopped once again at the sight of her breasts, laid bare for him and waiting for his touch. Her breath quickened as he rubbed his fingertips over her nipples again. He was enthralled by the way they moved beneath his fingers, and how hard they had become while he played with them. Her hands clutched the sheet and her chest rose and fell with her quickened breath. His pleasure at playing with her breasts turned into the pleasure of making her react to his touch. Who would have thought that such a small piece of flesh could entice such pleasure in a woman. What if he… He took her nipple between his finger and thumb, pinching it gently while he rolled it back and forth. When he did, she squeezed her thighs together and let out a tiny whimper. He smiled at her reaction and continued to play this game for a bit. He loved the look of desperation on her face and the way her body started to squirm.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he continued his exploration of her body. His hands slid purposefully over her arms and legs, across her stomach, up her sides. The human body, now that he actually stopped and paid attention to it, was fascinating. Once again he came to the pink cotton that hid the one part of her he wanted the most.  
He pushed himself off the bed and took his place between her thighs. His erection dangled between his legs, still dripping with the pre-cum he assumed was normal. He looked up wanting to see her reaction to him. She was studying his body. He watched the way her eyes roamed over his chest and stomach, and the way they grew wide as her gaze finally reached the flesh protruding from between his legs. Her desire for him was blatant, and he grinned at the sight of it.

With more nerve than he actually had, he reached down, slipped his fingers under the elastic of her panties and slid them down her legs. Her legs opened for him the moment the fabric was gone. The hair she kept hidden was mostly grey, which reminded him suddenly that she was much older than she looked. A woman who'd lived a hard life until she'd found the courage to escape it and build a new one. A woman who trusted him enough to allow him into her life without knowing who he really was. A woman willing to give him her body and trust that he wouldn't hurt her. The love he felt for her in that moment was overwhelming.

He reached down and took her hips in his hands, squeezing gently before sliding his thumbs toward the very center of her body. He ran them down the feminine mound of flesh, then back up. She was trying so hard to lie still as he spread her open. Her flesh was pink inside and he was fascinated by the small tip that protruded just above her aperture.  
He shifted the position of his hands so that he could hold her open while using his finger to explore her. When he rubbed his finger over her tiny piece of flesh, her hips came completely off the bed. Her hands were holding the sheet in a death grip, her elbows were pressed firmly the mattress, and her face was twisted in the most erotic way. He grinned and did it again and again until she called out his name and he had her writhing helplessly under his touch.

After awhile he ventured lower, grazing her flesh with the lightest touch. She responded to that too, but he was more interested in what she felt like inside. Very slowly, he slid his finger inside her, all the way in. Her body was hot and she was soaking wet which made it easy for him to slide his finger out of her and back in again. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her body and the sounds he was making her make. Then he slid a second finger into her. Again and again and again.

"Michael." She sounded desperate. "God, Michael!"

His eyes popped open at the sound of his name and the scream that accompanied it. Just as they did, her body arched high off the bed, her arms pressed deeper into the mattress, and she gripped the sheet so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Her hips came up off the bed and then she screamed again as a warm flow of liquid seeped out around his fingers.

She collapsed when it was over. She was panting and her body was trembling. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew it was something good.

He fell forward, catching his weight on his forearms which protected her from absorbing the impact of his body. His mouth captured hers in one final searing kiss. He felt her open her legs wider to accommodate him and almost immediately he was there, his erection pressed firmly against the warmth that his fingers had just discovered.

He looked into her eyes, and there was the pleasure he had given her, her nervous anticipation for what was about to happen, and, above everything else, the love that she truly felt for him. Without breaking eye contact, he thrust his hips forward and slid deep inside her.

His eyes closed on their own as an overwhelming pleasure devoured his entire body. The engulfing heat of her body welcomed him in again and again as he pulled himself out so he could slide into her once more.

He felt her hands caressing his body, her fingernails scraping the skin from his back, her legs bending at the knee so that her feet rested on his hips. He made her whimper, and groan, and curse, and scream out his name. When her body let go of that warm rush of liquid he kept moving, and eventually it happened again and then again.

He moved faster, then slowed down again. He shoved himself into her so brutally that he thought he might have actually broken her in two and then eased into her as if she were made of glass. He left bruises on her body and sucked the blood to the surface of her skin, then kissed the surface of her flesh as tenderly as the heart that beat in her chest. He held her down and wrapped her in his arms. It was a lust that consumed the devil and a love only an angel could give.

It was hours before he felt it. The tingling sensation deep down in his groin that slowly spread up his spine, the slight throbbing in his testicles, and finally the uncontrollable spasms that emptied his semen into her body.

He collapsed on top of her. His body trembled uncontrollably and the feeling of euphoria engulfed him. That was the most incredible thing he had ever experienced. He had no idea his body was capable of that kind of pleasure.

He felt Lisa sigh under the weight of his body. Her hands were on his hips, her fingertips slithering over his sweat covered flesh, her ragged breath puffed against his chest. He could even feel the smile growing on her lips.

Once his breathing was mostly back to normal, he pushed himself off of her and rolled onto his side. He held his weight on his elbow, so he could look down at her. There were times he hadn't been gentle with her and he needed to make sure he hadn't hurt her too badly. If he had hurt her, there was no trace of it on her face. She was sweaty, her hair was tangled, her skin flushed, and she had the most divine smile on her face. She looked like an absolute angel. Still…

"Did I hurt you very badly?" He stroked the finger shaped bruises on her collarbone as he spoke. His voice was a little rough from vocalizing his pleasure for so long and the sound of it made her smile with pleasure.

"No. You didn't hurt me." Her voice was further gone than his, but it was filled with the pure happiness that he felt in his own heart.

He kissed her. It was a long, deep, lazy kiss that reminded him of the rainy afternoons they spent lounging about in their pajamas. His hand slipped into her sweat dampened hair only to have her turn her head toward him which deepened the kiss.

His hand slithered down the length of her body and between her legs. She was still wet, and he was still hard. He broke the kiss as he rolled onto her. She grinned her consent as he slipped back into the depths of her body.

She gasped at the invasion, her eyebrows furrowing in the sudden pain of his thrust before melting into a look of unadulterated ecstasy.

"Oh Michael."


	10. Lucifer

"Care to tell me again why we're here?" Lucifer asked the detective. He wrinkled his nose at the scent of cheap beer and old cigarettes, and his shoe stuck briefly to some unidentified gooey substance that was puddled on the floor. Oh, and it was karaoke night. Lovely.

"I told you, Lucifer, the bar tender saw our victim with someone the night she died. We need to see if he can identify him."

"We could have just gone to his home tomorrow morning." He grumbled, but she was already pushing her way to the bar. The crowd clapped and cheered for whomever had been belting out that Genesis number, then quieted down and began the ruckus again as the next person took the stage.

A soft humming coming from the stage stopped him from following the detective. He turned toward the stage to see his lovely Lisa standing behind the microphone. She looked nervous as she surveyed the crowd. Once she found who she was looking for, she smiled so softly that it melted his heart. Her voice wasn't by any means as angelic as her face, but the love that radiated from it captivated the entire room, and he found himself swaying to the rhythm of the song along with everyone else. "Sanctuary" was the name of the song, according to the lyric screen. The song itself had an almost religious feel to it, and the lyrics spoke of a love so powerful that it created a refuge for the two lost souls who had found each other in it.

Michael. That was the name of the man fortunate enough to call her his love. She had been quick to point out how common a name Michael was, but she never outright denied she was seeing his brother. But that wasn't possible. No one could love his brother, at least not the way she so obviously loved her Michael. The chorus played out and the song finally ended. Her cheeks blushed so beautifully at the applause she received from the crowd. Without thinking, he started walking toward her. He just had to be near her again. Maybe he could steal another dance with her before Chloe pulled him back into real life.

No sooner had he started walking toward her that he was stopped in his tracks. Michael, his droopy shoulder, manipulative, cowardly brother walked up to Lisa and pulled her into his arms. He held her so lovingly and so protectively. Their kiss was passionate and so full of love that it was palpable to everyone who stood near them. She looked so much in love with him.

And Michael… Well, Michael looked happy. For the first time in their lives his brother looked genuinely happy. The only thing that came more of a shock to Lucifer was the love for Lisa that he witnessed in his twin brother's eyes. But that was impossible. Michael wasn't capable of that kind of love.

"Come on. We've got a name." Chloe grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the couple without ever knowing the significance of what he had just witnessed.

"So Michael has a girlfriend." Amenadiel replied. "Who cares?"

"She's not just a girlfriend, Brother. She's Lisa." Lucifer answered. "My Lisa!"

"Luci, are you seeing this woman behind Chloe's back?"

"Of course not." Lucifer scoffed at the idea.

"Then why do you care?"

"Because it's Lisa!" Lucifer was visibly upset. He drained the last of the whisky from his glass and went to the bar to pour another.  
"You're going to have to give me more to go on than just 'it's Lisa'."

Lucifer took a deep breath and started to pace back and forth in font of the bar. He didn't want to share his memories of Lisa with his holier than thou, perpetually over thinking brother, but if he wanted his help he didn't have much choice.

"I met her, once, eight years ago. Her older sister had arranged for their little sister's bachelorette party to be thrown at LUX. Those two were gorgeous, their hair and makeup, their clothes, the haughty air of sophistication they had about them. I took one look at them and I knew I'd end up sleeping with them. But they were just play things. And then there was Lisa." His expression softened as he slipped further into the memory. 

"When I first saw her, she was sitting alone at the end of the bar watching the others. She had on this sexy little red dress and her hair and make up had been done up perfectly. Still she looked so out of place there. Of course I had to speak to her. I couldn't have word get out that Lucifer Morningstar didn't make a lovely young woman feel welcome in his club. I had a reputation to protect."

Amenadiel snorted in response to the last statement.

Lucifer glared at him before continuing his story. "I introduced myself, but instead of being impressed that I was the owner of the most successful night club in LA, she simply shook my hand and said, 'That's nice.' She was so blasé about who I was that I spent the next hour trying to impress her. We did a couple of mollys and had a drink, and by the time we made it to the dance floor, I was so enamored with her that I had forgotten all about impressing her." He smiled warmly at the memory of his Lisa.  
"But you didn't sleep with her." It was more of a statement than a question, but Lucifer it answered anyway.

"No." He was actually proud of himself about that.

"Why not?"

Lucifer looked over to the couch where his brother was sitting. "I couldn't." He flung his arms out to the side in a defeated sort of way. "I want to… wanted to." He corrected himself before Amenadiel could respond. "There is something wholesome about her. Something pure. She's like a furnace that generates joy instead of heat, and it touches everyone she meets. The thought of defiling her, using her like some human sex toy just to be tossed aside when I was done with her… well, it was appalling."

"Wait, you're not talking about that waitress, are you? The one from the diner a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, the one from the diner. Keep up."

Amenadiel leaned back into the sofa. "Well, she was pretty special." He didn't see the nasty look Lucifer shot him.

"So you see why it's a bad thing that she's with our brother."

"No, Luci, I don't" Amenadiel sighed as he stood up. "Maybe she's exactly what he needs. You said yourself that she makes others feel happy just by being near them. If she actually fell in love with him…"

"He'll break her heart." Lucifer finished for him.

"Luci…"

"No, Brother. I know Michael better than anyone. The only thing he wants more than to prove he's better than me, is to manipulate me. He's worse than Dad." Lucifer mumbled the last sentence almost under his breath, and then he shook the thought away. "He can mess with me all he wants, but I won't let him hurt Lisa."

"Even if he were manipulating her to get to you, and I'm not convinced he is, how do you plan on stopping him? I doubt he'll listen to either one of us."

It was a good question, damn it. "He won't listen to us." Lucifer repeated his brother's statement. "But Lisa will."

"Not if she's in love with him." Lucifer gave him a dirty look. "I'm just saying that women in love are loyal to their men, to the death. If he did make her fall in love with him, she won't turn on him."

"Then I'll just have to show her that I'm better than he is. She'll leave him to be with someone who can take better care of her than he can. It's human nature."  
"I think you're wrong, Luci."

"No Brother, this will work. I just need to find a way to show her."


	11. Lisa

Lisa watched Michael carefully while she heated up their late night meal. When he didn't show up at the diner, she skipped her meal so she could eat with him. He had a really bad habit of not eating unless he absolutely had to.

There was a communal breakfast on the stoop every morning, to which someone always brought food to share with the others. Usually is was Steve. He and Jake had quit their jobs at the club to open their own little diner a few blocks away, and he was forever trying out new recipes on them. Not that anyone minded. The elderlies usually supplied the baked goods. Ms. Bea with her cookies, Ms. Pearl with her breads, and Ms. Gladys with her muffins and sweet rolls. Even Mr. Robert contributed the occasional basket of Pillsbury biscuits.

She and Michael almost always joined the others in their morning ritual. That is, when they weren't caught up doing couples cardio, as Liz liked to call it. All the residents had given their two cents worth of opinions, which were more in the way of compliments of his manly prowess; and their advise, which mostly included letting the man breathe and not crushing the poor girl.

The only other times he ate were on her nights off and she cooked for them, when they weren't having sex, or if he came into the diner while she was working, which to be honest were most nights. He hadn't come in tonight though. It had been the fourth night since they started sleeping together that he hadn't shown up until after her shift. When she'd asked him how his night had been, he simply shrugged off the question with a "Fine", and kissed her. His lips made for a very good distraction. Her insecurities screamed that he was cheating on her. He was curious, and very adventurous in bed. Why wouldn't he want someone else? After all, she was just a plain, unremarkable waitress.

She had the feeling that he had been a virgin that first time. He'd been so nervous that his eyes practically screamed "I've never done this before!", but his curiosity had soon taken over and he explored her body with a child-like wonder that endeared her to him on a much deeper level.

She had never really wanted to be with a virgin - a little piece of information that she would take to her grave. She dreamed of being with a man who knew the female body well, someone who knew exactly where to touch her and how to make her tremble, who could give her multiple orgasms every time he put his hands on her.

Never in a million years did she think that watching a man discover sex for the first time would be so amazing. She also never imagined that she'd be having sex with an angel.  
An archangel.

An archangel who had been injured in a celestial battle by his rebellious twin brother. Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought. He was holding his right arm close to his side again. She hadn't noticed it much until they started sleeping together. The longer they went at it, the more his shoulder seemed hurt him. He had been fascinated by the idea of her being on top of him, and he didn't say it, but she got the feeling he was relieved not to have to hold his weight up off of her for all those hours. Of course now that he wasn't in as much pain, they were having a lot more sex. You'd never hear her complain about that.

The only other time he seemed to be in that much pain was on those nights he didn't come hang out with her at the diner. She had a sneaky suspicion that he was still planning his revenge on Lucifer. Men - angels - were so single minded. Well, this one was.

He wouldn't admit that he was in pain, but the way he held his right arm close to his side, and the protective way his left hand hovered over his right bicep spoke volumes. It broke her heart to see the power and strength of his body being hindered by that pain. Fucking Lucifer. This was also the reason she never asked to see his wings. If they were attached in any way to his shoulders, it would probably hurt to unfurl them. Did they even use the term unfurl?

She could feel her eyes tearing up as she watched him stand up from the couch and walk across the room to the bar stool he had claimed when he'd moved in.

"Hey, are you ok?" His voice was laced with concern and he touched her face with such care that she wanted to fall against his chest and sob.

She nodded her head yes as an answer because she didn't trust her voice.

He lifted her face so that she was looking into his eyes. "What's wrong?"

She hated it when he did this to her. She didn't think it was some kind of super power or anything, but the raw compassion in his eyes always made her confess whatever was bothering her. She sighed in defeat.

"Nothing really. It just hurts me to see you in so much pain." She tried to stop the tears from falling but it was a lost cause. Michael walked around the island, pulled her into his arms and let her cry. She felt fragile wrapped in his inhuman strength, and foolish for worrying so much about an immortal being. Why did he have to be so fucking sweet? Once her shoulders stopped shaking and her tears had more or less dried up, he pressed his lips into the curls on top of her head.

"It's not that bad." He mumbled into her hair.

"Liar." She smacked him half heartedly on the ass, and felt the smile on his lips that accompanied it. "Does it hurt when you fly?"

He pulled away so he look at her. He quit asking why she asked the questions she asked and how she came up with them. He simply smiled and indulged her endless curiosity.  
"Only after a lot of sex." He grinned as if he were proud of it. "Or if I fly over very long distances."

"Oh." She was hesitant to ask the next question, but they were already on the subject so why not? "Does it hurt to unfurl them?"

"Only a little, if it already hurts."

"Oh. Is it just this one?" She gently laid her hand on his right shoulder. "Or both of them?"

"Just this one."

She drew her eyebrows together for one last question. "Is that the term you use? Unfurl? Or do you call it something else?"

He chuckled at the question. "That's the term we use."

Lisa could feel her cheeks turning red. Why did she ask such stupid questions?

"Do you want to see them?"

She could hear the excitement in his voice just under the amusement. He wanted to show her.

"No."

"No?"

She almost laughed at the comical expression on his face. "I mean, yes. Of course I want to see them, but not until it feels better. I can wait." She watched him smile timidly. He really never had anyone care about him like this before. A sudden wave of anger at the Divine Goddess washed over her. If anyone had cared about this precious soul, it should have been her, instead of being so self absorbed in her failing marriage. It still didn't feel right talking about the creators of the universe in such human terms, but there really was no other way to do it.

"Sit down." She commanded him softly. "Supper's ready." Her smile faltered a little as she watched him move. Sometimes she really hated Lucifer. 

Something was on his mind, and she didn't think it was the Mexican food. "You wanna talk about it?" She offered before stuffing her mouth with a fork full of the chimichanga she had been craving for the past week. She didn't know why she asked, he never wanted to talk about it. It took her a moment to realize that he hadn't said "no", or it was "nothing". She looked over to find him concentrating very hard on his food. Oh God. He WAS cheating on her, he just didn't know how to tell her.

They finished their meals in silence. She tried hard to find some way to ask him outright who he was sleeping with, while at the same time trying very hard to convince herself that she didn't care. But she did care, damn it. She loved him and she didn't want to share him. Or lose him. She took a chance and looked at him again. He had finished eating and was staring down at his plate.

"I went to see Lucifer tonight." His voice was soft, like he wasn't sure he could confide in her. At least it wasn't another woman.

"Have you started carrying out your plans to destroy his life here?" It was a fair question, and he'd tell her if he didn't want to talk about it.

"No." He was silent for several seconds before he continued. "I thought maybe we could bury the hatchet, so to speak. Let bygones be bygones."

She was floored at the revelation. He had never even hinted that he wanted a relationship with his brother, but to go to him and actually try to make things right… "How did it go?" She could see by the look on his face how it went, and it wasn't good.

"He thinks I went over there to carry out my plan." He gave her the slightest shrug when he answered.

"Well, can you blame him?" He shot her a dirty look, and she shot him one back. "You two have hated each other all your lives. I mean thousands of years. You can't really expect him to believe that you suddenly want to make amends."

He was silent for a moment. This was really weighing heavily on him, and to see the heartache it was causing him destroyed her heart.

"How do I make him listen to me?"

It was her turn to shrug. "If he's as stubborn as you are, he won't. You're just gonna have to prove it to him."  
He snorted his disapproval. "You're not very helpful."

"No, but I'm right." She looked down at the remnants of the salsa verde on her plate while she contemplated his dilemma. "Are you making amends with Amenadiel as well?"  
He shook his head no. "Lucifer is the only one I really hated."

"Maybe you should try. He seems to be the most level headed between the three of you. If you show a genuine effort to have a relationship with him, he'll indirectly convey that to Lucifer, if he doesn't come right out and say it. Lucifer will see that you're sincere and maybe, finally, be able let it go."

"Let it go?" He sounded genuinely confused.

"Well, yeah." She replied. "You and Lucifer are so hell bent in holding onto the past. It's almost like you're afraid of letting go of all that hatred. Like you don't know who you are without it." She hit a nerve with that last statement, but he didn't say anything. "From everything you've told me, you've spent your entire life being a lying, deceitful, manipulative bastard." That earned her a very nasty look. "But that's not who you are with me. You're a sweet, loving, gentle man who is honest and kind. But I don't think you've changed, Michael. I think you're becoming the man you were always meant to be, and you're doing it by letting go of all those negative emotions. And I think that's why you want to make amends with Lucifer so badly."

The look on his face made her want to cry for him. He looked so lost and he was trying so hard.

He picked up her hand and pressed her palm to his lips. "Thank you, Lisa."

"You're welcome."

He picked up both of their plates and took them to the sink. She was immediately on his heels and when he turned the water on, she smacked his hand away.  
"Go sit down and rest your shoulder. I got this."

He kissed her before he took himself into the living room. She turned around to make sure he really was relaxing and to assess the level of pain he was in. She damn near dropped the plate at the sight of him pulling his shirt up over his head. The muscles in his back danced with every movement he made. She had to wipe the corner of her mouth to stop the drool that had suddenly overfilled her mouth. Dear Pops, he was magnificent. She turned her back on what was fast becoming soft porn, and forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand. She had never been turned on by the sight of a man's body like this before. It had to be an angelic thing. There was just no way a mere mortal man could look that freaking good.

It didn't take long to wash the dishes, dry them and put them away. She tried to take her time doing her chores. That had been one of the deepest conversations they had ever had and she wanted to give him time to process what they had talked about. She took the time to wipe out the oven and scrub the cooked on cheese off the burner, wipe down the sink… all the little things they had been too consumed with each other to take the time to do. They were so wrapped up in their carnal pleasures that she would let the little things slide for awhile. It had become a very bad habit, but… well, just look at him.

She did. He was sitting on the couch looking at the blank TV screen. She hated to interrupt his thoughts, but she had done everything there was to do in here. She hung the dish towel on the oven door and walked quietly to the couch to take her place beside him, intent to sit quietly until he broke the silence.  
What she found, however, was her angelic boyfriend rubbing his crotch through the grey sweatpants Leon had given him and looking at her like a ravenous dog.  
She licked her suddenly parched lips and grinned. "You know what you are?" She asked.

"Dessert?" He grinned back.

Her grin turned into a wicked smile as she knelt on the floor between his knees. Taking the elastic in her hands, she pulled the thick fabric over his hips and down his long muscled legs. The sight of his erection nearly made her cream her panties. She had shown him the pleasure of a good blow job a few days ago, after her legs gave out and he tried to insist on doing it missionary style, even though his shoulder had been hurting pretty badly that day. He was insatiable.

He gasped as she slid him into her mouth then buried his hands in her hair as the ritual began.


	12. Michael

Michael could hardly contain his excitement. He told Lisa that he had a surprise for her and she had been so excited she could barely make it through her shift. He loved making her smile. When they finally left the diner, she practically skipped all the way back to the apartment.

He could see her trying really hard not to ask him, again, what her surprise was. By the time they made it home, she was literally bouncing up and down in the living room waiting for him to reveal his bombshell. He grinned at her as he began taking his clothes off.

She stopped bouncing, her smile faded just a smidge, and she raised her eyebrow at him. "Does this involve something you saw in a porn?"

He burst into laughter. "No, Sweetheart. I just want you to see it naturally."

That only confused her more, but she didn't argue. Her shoulder lifted as if to say "whatever" and her smile was back in place. She made it no secret how much she enjoyed looking at his body. Once he was naked, he stood up straight. "Ready?"

"I'm ready." Her words came a little breathlessly, but they always did when he was nude.

He looked around to make sure he had enough room, then took a deep breath and unfurled his wings.

Her mouth fell open, her eyes grew to twice their size. She stood frozen in place as she took in the sight of him. He watched her eyes trace the outline of his wings and then the contour of his body, putting what she knew and what she was just discovering together in her head. Yes, baring it all to her had been the right thing to do.

He stood there silently, giving her all the time she needed to experience this new part of him. And he just enjoyed watching her reaction. He had known that she would love them, but he never imagined how good it would feel to show them to her. She had believed him when he first told her that he was an angel so there was no moment of divine truth, just another part of her Michael for her to love. The love he felt for her in return was all consuming, like a fire he never wanted to put out.

After several minutes of silently enjoying the visual he'd given her, she stepped forward. She was still in awe of his wings. They were broken and damaged, but she looked at them as if they were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Tears of wonder filled her eyes and she covered her heart with her hands as she moved closer.

Tentatively she reached out and stroked one of his feathers. When she reached up to touch the top of his wings, he lowered them a little so she wouldn't have to stretch so high to reach it. She ran her hand over the length of it as she walked around behind him. He could feel her hands exploring his wings, touching different feathers, stroking the edge where they protruded from his back and then down his back and over his butt, as she liked to call it, then back up the sides of his body and to his wings. She slid her hand along the top of his injured wing as she made her way back around to face him. She was so overwhelmed by emotion that she didn't seem to notice the tears that were spilling down her cheeks.  
"Oh Michael. They're beautiful." Her eyes met his and she smiled so beautifully. "Thank you."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Her hands glided up his body as he pulled her into his embrace. He hadn't planned on making love to her just yet, but after witnessing her reaction to his wings, it was all he could do.

He took his time taking her clothes off. She may not have had wings, but she was the most Heavenly thing he had encountered since he arrived here and he worshipped her accordingly. He loved looking at her naked body, touching her flesh, giving her pleasure. She looked so beautiful when she was in the throws of ecstasy, and to hear his name in her sweet voice was beyond divine.

Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist when he picked her up to carry her to bed. He tightened his right arm around her back while reaching out with his left hand to gently ease them onto the mattress. This was only half of her surprise and he needed to be as pain free as possible for later.

He left his wings unfurled this time so she could see exactly who she was making love to. Knowing he was an archangel was one thing, but it was a whole different animal when she could look up and see his wings while he was inside her.

He watched her eyes roll back into her head as he slid deep inside her body. The pleasure was there, the thrill she always got when he climbed on top of her, the wonder in her eyes when they drifted past him and she saw his wings. He took his time with her, giving her as much pleasure as he could before his body finally succumbed to the pleasure and emptied itself inside her.

Taking his time with her not only meant he got to prolong their pleasure, but that they were able to recover a little faster than usual. A comfortable silence embraced them as they lay in the dimly lit room. Her skin was starting to get cold which gave him an idea.

"Lisa?"

"Yeah?" Her voice had a dream-like note to it that made him smile.

"Are you cold?"

He felt her smile against his chest. "A little bit."

Her short and to-the-point answers meant that she was still basking in the afterglow of their love making, and maybe getting a little sleepy.

He unfurled his wings again and wrapped them around their naked bodies so that they were lying in a cocoon of feathers. She gasped when he did it, then reached up to touch one of his feathers.

"This is so cool!" He could hear the child like pleasure in her voice. "Are they ticklish?"

"No." He chuckled. "Are you awake enough to go on an adventure? Or do you want to sleep?" He asked her while idly stroking the curls away from her face.

She popped up at the question with her eyes gleaming, just as he knew she would. "An adventure, of course! What did you have in mind?"

"That's a surprise." He kissed her then patted her butt. "Get dressed. I want to get there before sunrise."

As soon as he furled his wings, she hopped out of bed and started rummaging through her dresser. On any normal night, they'd be going at it again and he had to force himself to concentrate on putting his clothes on rather than taking her back to bed. He wasn't the only one fighting those urges. Lisa enjoyed sex as much as he did, and he had just caught her licking her lips as her eyes devoured his bare chest.

Despite their mutual desires, they were dressed and ready to go in no time. He locked them out of the apartment and the two made their way quietly down the hall. The walls were paper thin, as their neighbors were fond of telling them after particularly energetic nights, and they didn't want to wake up anyone. Silently she pulled the stairwell door open and started walking down to the third floor.

"Up here." Michael stopped her with a hand on her arm. He let her walk past him out onto the roof.

She looked around the abandoned rooftop. "You wanna have sex out here?" She grinned at the thought.

He started to say no, then reconsidered. The thick blanket off the bed, a couple of pillows… With a slight shake of his head to clear the thought he smiled. "Some other time." Before she could offer whatever R-rated response was on her lips, he unfurled his wings and held his hand out to her.

"How are you… You can do that with your clothes on?"

"Um hm." He pulled her close to him and held her tight to his body. "Hold on tight." He grinned.

Her eyes lit up and she wrapped her arms tight around his neck, and with a giant flap of his wings they were airborne.

Her heart pounded against his chest and her laugh was carried away on the wind. The city looked so far away from here with it's twinkling lights, and the red and white lines painted on the interstate by the headlights and taillights of traveling cars. It was peaceful up here.

They arrived at their destination way too soon for his liking and he began his descent toward the large black hole in the midst of the sparkling city. The abandoned zoo had a foreboding feel to it at night which had kept the humans from intruding on his peace. He had called this place home for awhile, and even though it held no special memories for him he wanted to share it with her. She had shared so much of her life with him over these past couple of months, from her awful childhood to the bastard she had called her husband, the new family she had found in her building, and even that night she spent at LUX with Lucifer. He'd hated his brother on a whole new level after hearing that story, but soon realized what a blessing it had been. She had no idea how truly special she was, and if Lucifer had gotten his hands on her that night, he may never have let her go, despite his custom made gift from Dad.

Once they were safely on the ground, he slipped his arms from around her and took a step back so that she could see where they were. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and when they did she gasped.

"Are we at the zoo?" Her excitement was contagious. "Show me around."

He took her hand and led her to the cave where he had taken Dan to convince him that shooting Lucifer would save his family, where he'd held Chloe captive, and where he'd convinced Maze to betray Lucifer in exchange for a soul. He showed her the maintenance room where he'd slept and the cafeteria where he ate his meals. Then they began to explore.

They wandered the grounds for hours climbing trees and rocks, avoiding empty pools, and swinging like monkeys from the vines that still hung from the tree tops. They jumped fences and chased each other and strolled the footpaths, enjoying the easy conversation that came naturally to them, as well as the silence that encompassed the place.  
The sunrise found them sitting on a large rock in the tiger paddock, his arm around her shoulders and her head resting on his shoulder. She let out a deep sigh of contentment and settled in closer to him.

"This has been the best night, Michael. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"You're welcome." He leaned over so he could kiss the top of her head. She tilted her head back so she could kiss him. It was a slow, lazy kiss, the kind that kept them enraptured for hours. Her stomach growled interrupting what was fast becoming one of their near endless embraces, and reminding him once again of her mortality. Regretfully, he broke the kiss.

"Let's go home."


	13. Lisa

Lisa wiped the tables off for the third time since the last customers said goodnight. Business wasn't just slow tonight, it was downright dead. She finished her work over an hour ago, and she still had another hour and a half before closing time. Grant had claimed one of the booths farthest from the door and had fallen asleep to the sound of Lisa's puttering.

It's too bad Michael wasn't there. On nights like this, they would sit together with a pot of coffee and a slice of pie and talk. They talked about everything, from the extreme mundane of doing the laundry, to the soul searching conversations that lasted well into the night. They told stories from their pasts and questioned each others beliefs. They even got into a heated debate once about whether or not Pops really cared about the human race or if they were just play things to pass his time. She'd had a hard time defending her beliefs on that one. After all, Michael had literally been there.

Michael. Her archangel. It was still hard sometimes to wrap her head around the fact that he was an actual angel. The night he first showed her his wings, when he left them unfurled as he made love to her, seemed so surreal and yet all too real. To have this powerful creature, who sat at the right hand of God, take her into his life and fall in love with her… Well, not even Hallmark could come up with something this wonderful. She didn't deserve him, but she thanked Pops every day that she had him.

Speaking of Pops… She turned her face toward Heaven, pressed her hands together, and whispered, "Hey Pops. I know I never ask this, but could you please send me a customer or two to help pass the time?" At that moment the bell above the door rang. "You're awesome! Thanks!" She smiled and turned around to greet her customer.

Her smile faltered just a little as she watched the tall, slim figure take a seat in the corner booth. "That's not exactly what I had in mind." She grumbled with a glance upward. Careful what you wish for, right? She took a menu and practically bounced over to the booth. It seemed like nothing could ruin her good mood these days, not even the devil himself.

"Good evening, Lucifer." She greeted him with a smile. As much as she hated to admit it, she was still kind of attracted to him. After all, he did share the exact same face as Michael. And the same hands, the same chest, the same… She caught her eyes drifting down toward his lap and had to give herself a mental shake to bring her back to her senses. It was her own fault for thinking about Michael so much.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

He smiled at her in a way that made her blush. Not that she was that hard to read. Everyone in the neighborhood knew how much she and Michael lusted for each other, all they had to do was pay attention to the looks that passed between them.

"I asked for a cup of coffee. Please."

"Of course." She could feel her cheeks getting red, damn it. She hurried over to the coffee pot behind the counter and took a minute and collect herself. She was acting ridiculous. It isn't like she liked the man. In fact, she nearly hated him for what he was putting Michael through at the moment. She felt her anger at him start to rise and forced it back down again. He was, after all, the answer to her prayer. She gave the ceiling a not so nice look, then carried two cups of coffee to the devil who was waiting for her.

She set one of the cups in front of him then sat down opposite him with the second. She chuckled at his raised eyebrow. "There is literally nothing for me to do except to sit here and talk to you."

"And here I thought it was my charming personality." Lisa laughed at the feigned hurt on his face. "You know, you do nothing for a man's ego."

"Something tells me your ego does fine all on it's own." It was his turn to laugh. "So. What brings you here?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well the coffee tastes like crap, so you didn't come here for that; and you didn't eat anything last time you were here, so it couldn't be the food. So why are you here?"

"What? Can't I drop in and say hello to an old friend?" His smile faltered a little under her gaze. She wasn't buying it, and he knew it.

"We're hardly friends, Lucifer. And you've had eight years to drop in and say hello. Why now?" She knew damned good and well why now. She had really hoped to stay out of the brothers' business, but it was starting to look like she was going to be dragged into it whether she liked it or not.

Lucifer sighed in defeat. "I really did want to see you again." He looked sincere, but she didn't think his reasons were as innocent as that. "The other reason I'm here is to invite you to my penthouse tomorrow night. My dad's going back home and I thought I'd get the family together and give him a proper send off. One last night with his sons."

"Then why don't you ask his son?"

The devil's eyes drifted down toward the table, and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Because I'm probably the last person he wants to talk to."

He was right about that. Michael's last attempt to talk to Lucifer ended in a screaming match and the twins trying to beat each other into oblivion. She silently thanked Amenadiel, again, for the intervention.

"You know that if I did come over, I would bring Michael with me." His head snapped up, his eyes wide with hope. "I said if." She added before he could twist her words and try to commit her to coming.

"I can keep the peace for a few hours if he can." He offered. He looked sincere, and she had always believed in giving people a chance when they reached out.  
She let out a sigh of exacerbation. She was starting to feel like a mother trying to get her children to play nice. Was she seriously considering this? On the one hand, she'd probably end up playing referee to an archangel and the devil at some point. On the other hand, she would get to meet Pops. Now that would be epic! She was silent for several minutes, weighing her options and pretending like the thought of meeting God hadn't already made her decision for her.

"Will you come?"

Lucifer's voice brought her back to the present and she sighed again. "I don't know, Lucifer. I mean, I don't want to put Michael in an awkward position."  
He nodded in response. "Will you at least think about it?"

He looked so sincere that her heart went out to him. Maybe this really was about their dad and not some elaborate scheme to hurt Michael again. "Yeah, I'll think about it."  
"Good." The way he smiled at her made him look a little… bashful? She felt her pent up anger toward him begin to dissipate, and a fondness for the charming man she'd met at LUX begin to seep in. "How have you been?"

They talked for almost the entire hour and a half before his phone rang. Well, he talked. She'd forgotten just how loquacious he could be. He told her all about working for the LAPD and his partnership with Chloe, how their romance began, and the problems they had had in the past and were having now. She thought it odd that he called her "Detective" rather than using her first name, but she shrugged it off. After that many years of friendship before the romance, it was probably just habit. She laughed at the thought of Michael walking around calling her "Waitress".

"I'm so sorry, Sweetheart, but I'm going to have to leave." He smiled after ending the call.

"That's alright. It's about closing time anyway."

As they stood up, he reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of one hundred dollar bills and handed it to her.

She hesitated before she took the money. This wasn't a handout, she could see it in his eyes, it was simply a gift that he wanted her to have.

"Thanks." She said as she took the cash.

"You're welcome." They made it as far as the end of the row of booths before Michael walked in. 

Michael had been wrapped up in his thoughts and Lucifer in his goodbyes to Lisa that they hadn't seen each other until they were standing face to face in front of the register.  
Immediately the brothers went into warrior mode, facing off as if they were about to go into battle.

"Shit." Lisa hissed as she positioned herself between the two. Taking each of them by the arm, she pulled Michael into the diner and pushed Lucifer toward the door.  
"Goodnight, Lucifer." The sound of her voice caught his attention and while he didn't relax, he did take a step backward toward the open door.

"Goodnight, my dear. You'll think about my invitation?" His attention was on her, thank goodness. If he had been looking at Michael when he spoke, all hell probably would have broken loose. He smiled at the nod of her head, took one last look at his brother, and then walked to the Corvette that was parked on the curb.

Grant's soft snoring ended abruptly with a loud snort. He sat up straight and looked around in a panic as if he'd come into the room and missed the excitement. "Is everything ok?" He stood up on shaky legs and reached a finger under his glasses to rub his eye.

"Everything's fine." Lisa reassured her aging friend. "It's closing time."

"Hi Michael." Grant greeted with a half hearted wave of the hand as he walked back into the kitchen to shut everything down.

Michael had taken her in his arms during the brief exchange and was holding onto her tightly. She melted into him automatically. The softness of his turtleneck, the hardness of the muscled body beneath it, the warmth of his breath in her hair… He felt like home.

The hug only lasted a couple of moments before he pulled away from her. He was angry that his brother had spent time with her, but he was also afraid of something. What could he possibly have to be afraid of? Unless Lucifer had threatened her in some way and he hadn't told her. But that sounded like something Michael would have done, not Lucifer.  
"Are you ok?" Her tone was comforting and her hand cupped his cheek tenderly. Michael nodded his head in return, but she didn't believe him. She smiled anyway. "Let me clean up and we can talk on the way home, ok?"

He finally smiled back at her. "Ok."

She forced herself away from him so she could wipe down the booth and wash the coffee cups they had used. By the time she was finished, Grant was ready to go.  
They stepped out into the night, bid each other a goodnight, and went their separate ways. Michael was unusually quiet, especially seeing how his brother had been there when he arrived tonight.

"It's ok if you ask me what he was doing there." She had to break the silence to save her sanity. He was starting to make her feel like she had done something wrong.  
"What was he doing there?"

He sounded pissed. "He came in to say hello, and to invite us to his penthouse tomorrow night. He's throwing a little get together for your dad's last night on Earth." Michael's head snapped around at the information.

"Dad's leaving?" He almost sounded hurt.

"Yeah." She answered gently. "And Lucifer thought it would be nice for him to spend his last night here with his sons."

He snorted his contempt at the notion. "Then why didn't he ask me?"

"After what happened the last time you two 'talked'." He gave her a dirty look because she was right and he couldn't argue. "Look, I told him I'd talk to you. I don't want to push you into doing anything you don't want to do, but I don't want you to regret not seeing your dad again before he leaves."

"I think he's lying."

"Lucifer doesn't lie, remember?" That earned her another dirty look. "Just think about it, ok?"

He was silent for a minute, probably pondering the ramifications of what another meeting with his brother could entail. She didn't mean for him to think about it right this minute. She'd rather he grab her ass, lift her up, and kiss the hell out of her like he usually did. Freaking angel.

"Do you want to go?"

His voice startled her a little. She pretended to think about it before answering. "Kind of. I mean, it would be awesome to meet Pops. Amenadiel seemed pretty cool, and it could be fun to see him again. And Mazikeen… I've never met a real demon before." She was acutely aware of how excited she was starting to sound. "Fine. I would love to go." She stopped walking and grabbed his arm to he would stop. "But honestly, I'd rather stay home with you if this could turn into some kind of bad family drama."

He smiled down at her. He already knew she'd give up this once in a lifetime chance for him, but the look on his face said he wasn't going to let her. Finally he shrugged. "I can keep the peace for a few hours if he can."

Lisa burst into laughter, then slapped both hands over her mouth to try to stop the laughter. He raised a questioning eyebrow and waited for her to explain.  
"That's exactly what Lucifer said." She managed to get the words out between peals of laughter.

He tried to give her a dirty look, but ended up joining her in laughter at the irony of it. Once they caught their breath, they continued their journey home. Michael's mood had lightened, but he looked like there was still something gnawing at the back of his mind. When she asked him about it later - hours later, after he'd ravished her body with unbridled lust - and he told her that it was only the unexpected run in with his brother. She didn't believe him, but she was too tired to argue, not to mention that the perfect pair of lips were kissing their way down her stomach. Good Lord, this angel was insatiable.


	14. Michael and Lisa

Michael:

Michael tried hard to hide his trepidation from Lisa, but she knew something was wrong and she probably knew what it was. She had ask him if he was okay five times before they left the apartment, twice on the ride over, and again when their cab stopped in front of LUX. The truth was, he was not okay. He had tried so hard to make amends with Lucifer, and each attempt had ended worse than the one before. Michael had finally accepted that his brother wanted nothing to do with him and was ready to focus all of his attention on Lisa. That is, until Lucifer showed up with his invitation to Lisa to meet Dad. Damn it.

It wasn't her fault that she was so excited to meet Pops. He knew how much faith humans put in the Almighty, and her faith was stronger than most. And maybe, he just wanted her to meet his dad. And perhaps to show all of them that someone could love him, that he was just as worthy of love as they were. But he wasn't. The cold hard truth was that Lucifer was better than him, and he always had been, and no matter how much he denied it or how hard to tried to prove otherwise, he always would be.

Whenever Lucifer truly wanted something, he let nothing stand in the way of him taking it, and right now it looked like he wanted Lisa. His brother was rich, charming, and downright lovable when he chose to be, and humans lost themselves in him time and time again. Even Lisa had been ready to bed the devil the night they met, and now that Michael knew her, he knew that that was no small feat. Lisa had a stronger moral compass than anyone he had ever known, human or otherwise, and for Lucifer to penetrate her morality the way he had… He pushed the thought away. For whatever reason Lucifer had rejected her, and that would have to be good enough.

She took his hand in hers as the cab pulled away, pulling him back into the moment, and they walked into the darkened club together. Her hand was trembling and he could practically hear her heart pounding above the noise of the crowd. She was getting nervous about meeting Dad, but still showed no fear. That made him smile.  
The place was crowded, as it usually was, the music was loud, and the scent of debauchery permeated the atmosphere. He hated this place, and so did she according to the look on her face.

It took them longer than it should have to make their way through the crowd. He was tempted to unfurl his wings with a mighty roar to stun these people into silence and clear a path so they could walk. He refrained, but the image momentarily distracted him from the evening to come and put a smile on his face. The party goers thinned out a bit on the stairs, but he had to turn sideways to squeeze between two groups of people who seemed oblivious to each others existence. They couldn't get to the elevator fast enough, and when the doors finally closed he let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you ok?" It was his turn to ask, and she laughed at the irony.

"I'm fine, just a little nervous. What if they don't like me? What if Pops doesn't like me?"

He chuckled at how innocent she sounded as he took her by the arm and turned her around so they were facing each other. "Sweetheart, they are going to love you, especially Dad."

She shook her head in stubborn disagreement. "I don't know. I called him a fucking asshole once."

Michael's laughter filled the tiny compartment.

"Laugh it up, angel of mine, but that's not something you call someone who holds your destiny in his hands."

"Maybe not, my precious human, but I doubt he heard you anyway. Even if he did listen to everyone's prayers, and I'm not saying he does, so many people pray to him at the same time that he probably didn't even notice it."

She gave him a slightly embarrassed smile. "You're probably right." Her expression became serious again. "What about you? Are you ok?"

He smiled gently into the face of the one he adored. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? It's not too late, you know. We can still go home."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'll be fine. I just want you to have a good time tonight."

"Ok." She smiled and tightened her arms around his neck as he leaned down to claim her mouth. The kiss was intense and he had to focus hard to keep his senses and not get lost in the taste of her like he always did. His hands slid down her back and grabbed her backside nearly lifting her off her feet. She moaned her approval into his mouth.  
The kiss deepened and he felt the bulge in his pants just start to strain against the zipper. Quite suddenly, his amorist assault was interrupted by a loud, but discreet, clearing of a throat. They pulled away from the kiss, red cheeked and guilty and turned to face their audience.

Lisa:

Lisa could feel her entire body burning red from embarrassment. It couldn't have been Lucifer to interrupt them or Amenadiel, no. It had to be God himself.

"Hi Pops." She managed with a nervous wave of her hand. And then she realized who she was talking to. "No. I'm sorry. I mean, God. Sir." The words flew out of her mouth in a panic. If ever the floor had opened up and actually swallowed someone whole, this would be the opportune moment.

Pops chuckled good naturedly. "That's alright." The deep timber of his voice was compassionate and kind. "I'm rather fond of 'Pops'. Although I have been called by many different names - Papa, Father, Dad…" He glanced past her at Michael when he said the last one then brought his focus back to her. "Fucking Asshole."

"You heard that?" She slapped her hand over her mouth.

He laughed at her reaction. "I hear all of your prayers, my dear."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned around far enough to smack Michael. "See? I told you."

"I'm so glad you came tonight." Pops said as he reached his hands out toward her. She stepped forward into his embrace and closed her eyes as an overwhelming sense of love filled her heart. She felt almost as loved as she did when Michael held her.

There was another clearing of the throat that sounded amazingly British. This time it was coming from behind Pops. She reluctantly let go and took a step aside so Pops could greet his son. At the last second she stopped to face Pops again. "Thank you."

"For what?" He looked perplexed and patiently gave her his attention again.

"For Michael." She answered the question as if there wasn't anything else she could possible be thankful for. "He's perfect." She finished with a smile then turned to be greeted by the devil. It felt weird when she thought about it like that. Lucifer looked a little impatient at her disrupted arrival, but he dared not express his disapproval.

"Hello Lisa." He leaned down to kiss her cheek in greeting. "Allow me introduce you to everyone." He led her into the living area where most of the group had gathered. "You remember my brother Amenadiel." Amenadiel gave her a friendly hug with his hello, which perturbed Lucifer.

"It's good to see you again." Amenadiel smiled as he stood to his full height.

"It's good to see you again too."

"I would like you to meet the detective, and that is her offspring, Trixie." He indicated the lovely brunette and her daughter.

"It's Chloe, isn't it?"

The woman seemed to be very happy that she knew her name and stepped in closer to hug her.

He pointed to the far end of the penthouse to where the bed was. "That is Dr. Linda and baby Charlie, my nephew." The baby was sleeping in his mother's arms, so they exchanged a smile and a silent wave in the way of a greeting.

"This is Detective Douche." He pointed to a man standing behind the sofa.

"Either that's a term of endearment or your mother really hated you." The detective laughed as he made his way over to where she was standing.

"Dan Espinoza. It's nice to meet you, Lisa." They shook hands and exchanged a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too, Dan."

"Yes, well that's enough of that." Lucifer pushed the two apart as if they were making out. "And who else? Ah yes…"

"Hi! I'm Ella." The small brunette wrapped her arms around Lisa in the kind of hug usually reserved for people you actually knew. She liked her immediately. When the hug ended, Ella smiled up at her. "You give really good hugs."

Lisa smiled. She had always been a hugger. "So do you."

"And that's Maze over there behind the bar."

Lisa turned in the direction Lucifer was pointing and smiled. "What's up, demon lady?"

Maze narrowed her eyes for a moment while she contemplated her, then smiled and nodded her head. "I like her."

Linda had put the baby down to sleep in Lucifer's bed and joined the others as they found their seats. Lucifer was sure to point out that he had purchased a new sofa so they could lounge together rather than mingling as was the usual practice in the penthouse.

Lisa found herself sitting between Michael and Lucifer. There was a moment that she wondered what it would be like to be in a three some with these two, but as soon as an image of the Eiffel tower surfaced she crushed those thoughts completely. Damn it, Michael. He was so curious, so open, and so experimental in bed that she found herself thinking about sex at the absolute worst times. Like when she was sitting between an archangel and a fallen angel in front of God Almighty, literally.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. No one knew what to do, or what to say. Michael had started fidgeting with the hem of his jacket, and Lucifer was bouncing his knee like he was impatiently waiting for something.

Suddenly Linda stood up and said, "Girl talk. Ladies, to the bar." The ladies were all too happy to join her. Chloe, Ella, and Maze all stood up and excused themselves past the male legs that were in their way. Michael stood up as well, turned around to face her and held his hands out. She placed her hands in his and smiled as he pulled her to her feet. They were standing so close that she could feel the buttons on his jacket rubbing against her. They turned as if dancing, their bodies remaining close together and their eyes never breaking contact. Once her back was to the bar, she stepped away from him, fingers sliding across palms until they broke contact, then she turned on her heel and practically floated across the room.

The women looked a tad bit jealous. She smiled and took a seat on a bar stool between Chloe and Ella. Linda was seated to Chloe's left and Maze was pouring drinks behind the bar. Girl talk sounded a lot like code for we want to hear all about Michael, and she just happened to love talking about Michael.

After a moment of no one knowing how to approach the subject Lisa gave them an in, "I suppose y'all want to know about Michael."

"Yes!" Ella's tone reflected the other's faces.

"So you know…" Linda was reading her, as if trying to find where to begin. "… about him. What he is, I mean."

"That he's an angel?" She nodded her head. "I know."

They all seemed relieved that she knew this fundamental piece of information. And now it could begin.

"So, what's he like? I mean, he's kind of a…" Chloe sounded like she was trying hard not to offend her.

"A lying, manipulative, bastard?" Lisa finished for her. That earned her shocked silence from the quartet. "I know all about him. But that isn’t the man - um, angel - that I know. That sounds really cliché, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Maze and Chloe agreed.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have changed." Linda added. "Just look at Lucifer."

"You're right." Chloe turned to Lisa. "Lucifer has made some huge strides in becoming a better person. I mean, he's still a little self centered and shallow and single minded sometimes, but he isn't nearly as bad as he use to be."

"She's right. He's changed a lot since he met her." Maze pointed to Chloe. "Even if it did take them forever to hook up."

"So," Linda took a sip of the whisky Maze had poured for each of them, "Tell us about your Michael. I wanna get to know the new him."

She seemed sincere, and the others looked genuinely curious. "Um, ok. Well, he's loving and affectionate, and very protective. He's kind of shy around other people, but not nearly as bad as he use to be. He's made friends with the other tenants in our building, and he's a terrible flirt with the elderlies who live on the first floor. We talk for hours, about everything. He's so insightful and curious." She could feel her eyes glazing over at the thought of her Michael. "He's always coming up with new adventures."

"Ooo… what kind of adventures?" Chloe asked.

"Well, we have midnight picnics on the beach, karaoke night at the gay bar around the corner, we visit the botanical gardens after hours. And he took me to the abandoned zoo once." She hesitated and looked over at Chloe, who had gone stiff in her seat. "I'm sorry. I forgot for a second…"

"It's ok." Chloe tried to sound sincere, but was failing.

"For what it's worth, he feels really bad about kidnapping you. Not that you'll ever get an apology. He's kind of… Oh, what's the word? Bullheaded."

She and Chloe looked behind them at the angels sitting as far away from each other on the sofa as they could get.

"Yeah," Chloe sighed. "Well, that's one thing those two have in common."

"Wait, how did he get you into the zoo and the gardens? Don't the humans keep those places locked?" Maze asked.

"If he's anything like Lucifer, he could just open the locks. I don't know how he does it." Chloe replied.

"He can unlock doors like Lucifer can," Lisa said, "but that's not how we got in."

"Well? How did you get in?" Ella smacked her arm to get her to spill it.

"We flew."

The silence was sudden and all four women were staring at her in complete shock.

"What? You're dating Lucifer, and you were with Amenadiel." She pointed at Chloe and Linda in turn. "Haven't they ever taken you flying?"

"No!" They answered in unison, then turned to give the angels in their lives a dirty look.

"I don't know. I think I'd be too terrified to go flying with Lucifer." Chloe confessed. "He still could have asked me though."

"Not me!" Linda chimed in. "I think it would be fun."

"Man, I wish I were dating an angel." Ella mumbled.

Lisa looked at Ella very carefully. "Are you getting sloshed?"

"Yep." Ella answered pushing her glass toward Maze who promptly refilled it. "So, what's it like to have sex with an angel?"

Awesome and amazing were the agreed upon replies, except from Maze who simply said, "It's ok."

"Yeah, well you’re a demon." Lisa dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah, I am a demon." Maze leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bar. "So enlighten me. What is the best part of having sex with an angel?"

She was looking at Lisa, but Linda and Chloe had already started contemplating the question. Lisa didn't have to think about it.

"Oh, the best part is when you look up into his eyes but you get distracted when you see his wings unfurled behind him. It's like all of the strength and power of an archangel is right there. All on top of you." Her thoughts drifted off for a second and when she snapped out of it, the others were staring at her in utter disbelief.

"He makes love to you with his wings out?" Chloe asked still a little dumbfounded at the revelation.

"Yeah, sometimes. Doesn't Lucifer?"

"Amenadiel's wings popped out once while we were doing it." Maze nodded her head slightly as she spoke. "We were in the backseat of a car. He cracked the back windshield when it happened."

"Cool." Lisa wished suddenly that they had a car. Sex in the backseat… She scolded herself for the thought. Michael had turned her into a regular little sex hound.

"So, what else does he do with his wings?" Linda leaned forward a little when she asked.

"Yeah." Chloe agreed.

"Well, the only other thing is when we're in bed and he pulls me close to him then he wraps us both in his wings. It's like falling asleep in a feathery cocoon." She had that far away look again, she could feel it.

Linda and Chloe looked back and gave the angels another dirty look.

They were silent for a few minutes, except Ella who'd started singing some unintelligible song to herself.

Finally Chloe looked at her. "You know, I didn't think I was going to like you. I mean, you are dating Michael." Her eyes widened slightly, like she hadn't meant to be that blunt. "But I'm really glad you came tonight."

"So am I." Lisa smiled back at her. "I wasn't sure you guys would like me either because… well, because I'm dating Michael." Her smile was a little timid.

"Hey, we have a new tribe member!" Ella looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

"Yes." Maze agreed. "I'm sure I have a blade around here somewhere." She squatted down and began rummaging around behind the bar.

"Not tonight, Maze." Linda spoke up just as maze popped up holding a gorgeous curved knife. It looked like a feather, but the way Maze was holding it Lisa couldn't be sure. "We'll do it when all of us are sober." She looked pointedly at Ella when she spoke.

Maze pouted a little bit, but she put the blade away anyway.

"Ladies." Lucifer had was standing between Lisa and Chloe.

"Lucifer." Chloe snapped at him.

"Is everything alright, detective?"

She gave him a dirty look. "Everything is just fine, angel boy." Before he could ask her what the hell was wrong, she slid off the bar stool. "I need to use the loo." She announced in a really bad British accent then sauntered off in the direction of the bedroom.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asked the women who were mostly looking at him as if he in fact had done something wrong.

"She's had a couple of drinks." Lisa answered in the way of an explanation.

"Well," He smiled at her and cautiously asked, "Would you allow me to give you a tour of my penthouse? I have something to show you that I think you'll love."  
His smile was charming, but she could see through his façade. He was up to something. She had a feeling she knew exactly why he had invited her here, and it had nothing to do with meeting Pops.

"Excuse me, Ladies." She smiled.

She took his offered arm and let him lead her past the gourmet food that filled the other half of the bar to the library. She had to admit that looking at the original hand penned works of William Shakespeare was pretty impressive. He had priceless artifacts lying about like knick knacks he'd found at some department store. The whole place wreaked of wealth and privilege, and his haughty attitude and the occasional off handed comments about her job, apartment, and overall lifestyle, and the vaguely concealed insults he threw at Michael, convinced her of his true intentions. And that pissed her off.

They ended the tour in front of the food that crowded the bar. Oysters on the half shell, caviar she would swear was Imperial Osetra, pate, carpaccio, escargot, the Dom Perignon on ice… She felt the anger rising from deep inside and she wasn't sure she could kill it this time. Killing the devil, however, sounded very doable.

She put on the best smile she could muster. "Thank you for the tour, Lucifer."

"You're most welcome, my dear." He smiled and turned to the buffet where he busied himself while she stewed.

How dare he throw his money in her face like this! How dare he try to come between her and Michael! He didn't even want her for himself, he just didn't want Michael to have her.  
He turned to her with a rather arrogant smile on his face, and cracker topped with the expensive treat in his hand. "Caviar?"

"I know what you're doing Lucifer." She damn near growled the words at him. She couldn't help it.

His smile faltered. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I know why I'm here. This has nothing to do with meeting Pops, or Michael spending one last night with him before he leaves. This is about you hurting Michael."  
"Lisa…" The look on Lucifer's face was sheer panic.

"This is about taking away the only thing that makes him happy. He came to you, over and over again, trying to make amends, trying to put the past behind him, trying to have some kind of relationship with his brother. And all you could do is mock him, and ridicule him, and break his heart."

"Stop." She noticed the tinge of anger in his voice.

"And when he didn't give up, you thought you'd destroy him, by destroying us!"

"Please stop." His anger was rising, but she didn't care. In fact, she was looking forward to the fight.

"I've got news for you, Lucifer." She spit his name at him like a curse. "You can't destroy us. You don't own that kind of power!"

"Enough!" He roared. She gave his devil face an evil look and took a step toward him. Just as suddenly as his devil face had emerged, a pair of black wings appeared in front of her, blocking her advance toward him, protecting her.

Oh no, she wasn't finished with him yet.

She grabbed the side of Michael's wing and pushed against it, forcing him to fold it into his body, then used the momentum to push him aside.

She stood in front of Lucifer with his wings unfurled and ready to do battle. "I might just be some poor, pathetic, worthless nobody, but if you ever try to come between me and Michael again, I will personally send you back to Hell!"

Michael:

Michael stood dumbfounded at the audacity Lisa showed toward Lucifer. The instant he saw Lucifer's devil face he put himself between them, ready to kill Lucifer if necessary to keep her safe. The last thing he ever expected her to do was push her angel aside so that she could get to the devil.

It was exactly two heartbeats between the time she voiced her threat to Lucifer and when he wrapped his arms around her to pull her away. Her body was trembling with rage and he could practically hear her growling.

The entire room had frozen. Dan and Amenadiel had jumped to their feet the moment Michael did, Amenadiel with his wings unfurled, ready to grab Lisa and pull her to safety, and Dan poised and ready to defend her against his friend. Trixie was crouched down behind the sofa, and the ladies had frozen in their places by the bar, afraid to even breathe. Dad was on his feet as well, but he had frozen from a state of shock rather than fear.

Lucifer's devil face was terrifying enough all on it's own, but his devil face full of rage… That was something not even a demon could stand up to.

He took Lisa out onto the balcony so she could breathe. On those rare occasions when their discussions got really heated, she would go up to the roof to clear her head, and he was hoping the fresh air would help her now. He wrapped his arms around her because he had no idea what else to do. The trembling had stopped and she seemed to melt into his body. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight. How had he ever doubted her love for him? She hadn't only chosen him over his debonair brother, but she had damn near attacked an angry devil in his defense.

In that moment all of his self doubt vanished and her idea of letting go of the past became crystal clear. Because in that moment he had never felt more love or more joy than he did holding on to his precious human.

He pulled himself away from her and looked down into her eyes. "Let's go home."

She nodded silently in agreement. The myriad of emotions swimming in her lovely eyes was heartbreaking. He needed to make her smile again.

"You wanna fly?" He grinned down at her.

Her mouth curved up into a smile and she nodded again.

He smiled and motioned toward the glass barrier that kept Lucifer's guests from plunging to their deaths. Once she had slipped her shoes off and tossed them aside he picked her so that she could stand on the tempered glass.

"Michael."

He turned his head to look at Lucifer who had walked up behind him unnoticed.

"Goodbye Lucifer." There was a finality in his voice that saddened him. He really thought he'd had a chance to reconcile with his rebellious brother, but that was never going to happen, and he was ready to truly accept it.

He turned away from the man who shared his face, unfurled his wings, and patted Lisa on the hip and said, "Jump."

She spread her arms straight out to her sides, bend her knees and leaped off the skyscraper. He was airborne immediately and dove toward the ground. He caught her about half way down the building and soared upward leaving the Earth and his past far behind them.


	15. Michael

Michael landed in a deserted ally about a mile away from the apartment. He wanted to give Lisa time to clear her head if she needed to. She had enjoyed the flight, but didn't seem to have the same exuberance she usually had when they soared above the city. They walked in silence for awhile. He wanted so badly to know what was going through her head right now. She had seen Lucifer's devil face for the first time. The only person who had seen it and not been terrified at the sight was baby Charlie, and he was half angel. Even Dad had taken a step away from him. But Lisa, in her fury, had stared into those angry red eyes and stepped purposefully into his livid stare.

Her silence was starting to scare him. She was one of the most talkative people he knew and for her not to say anything for this long…

He stopped walking and took her by the hand, gently forcing her to stop with him. The glow of the street lamp cast a yellow glow over them, illuminating her face when he lifted it up to his gaze. She was looking at him, but didn't see him, almost as if she were in shock. "Lisa." His voice was soft, but it was enough to capture her attention. He watched as her eyes slowly adjusted to the world around them and then focused on him.

"I'm sorry." The moisture in her eyes glimmered in the artificial light. "I ruined Pops' party and I embarrassed you."

"Shhhhh…" He placed his thumb on her lips as his fingers lightly skimmed her jaw. "You didn't ruin anything."

"But Pops…"

"Dad doesn't care about that. He would only be concerned for your safety."

"Are you sure?" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"Yeah." The word sounded more like a sigh and was accompanied by a smile. "And as far as being embarrassed…" His smile grew exponentially. "That was the bravest, most loving, and foolhardy thing I've ever witnessed. You faced an enraged angel for me, stood up to the devil himself to defend us. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before."

He watched her emotions overwhelm her and begin to be come out the form of tears. She fell against him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he held her there for endless minutes, absorbing the beat of her heart against his body and the warm stream of tears penetrating the fabric of shirt.

A group of dangerous looking young men saw them from a distance and had started making their way toward them. This was the last thing he needed right now. He would have no problem beating all five of them to a pulp, but he didn't want the conflict to disrupt Lisa's emotional recovery. On second thought, she might be a bigger threat to them than he was. He smiled at the image the thought created, but gently pulled away from her nonetheless.

"We should go."

She turned to look behind her and nodded her head in approval then took his hand in hers. Rather than walking straight to the apartment that was only three blocks away, they turned down a side street to avoid the miscreants, which added an extra two blocks to their journey. Neither of them cared.

The night was cool and the walk itself was enjoyable. In the silence his mind drifted back to the party, and the lengths Lucifer had gone to to steal Lisa away from him. His own brother, who had already been given the love of his life, hated him so much that he had to steal away the one and only person to ever show him the smallest morsel of affection; who hated him so much that he was willing to hurt someone like Lisa, who had the purest heart of everyone in the entire human population, just to try to destroy him. Anger and hatred should have filled every part of his being, but the knowledge of the depths of his brothers hatred for him had only managed to break his heart. Maybe he should have heard Lucifer out when he'd followed them onto the balcony tonight, but Michael had been so… done. No anger, no hatred, no frustration or need for revenge, just done. That moment of clarity had sealed his brother's fate and he had walked away for good. It made him sad, but he knew that walking away was only going to bring him peace and the chance to have a truly happy life.

He looked down at the woman walking next to him. Dad may not have created her specifically for him, but there was a good chance that he had put her in his path. After what had transpired at the penthouse tonight, he was willing to bet that that was exactly what dear old dad had done. He frowned a little at the thought. Although he was beyond ecstatic to have Lisa in his life, the feeling of being played like some pawn really got under his skin. That was something he and Lisa could discuss later. She hated the idea of being used, as evident in the penthouse, but she also put total faith in Pops and his divine plan. Oh, how he would love to hear her thoughts on that one. It was just the type of discussion that would end with him bending her over the back of the couch and pounding into her with relentless disregard for her body. He wasn't sure how that happened, but after their more emotional debates they would practically tear each other's clothes off and ravage each other as if they were starving animals rather than a loving couple in the deepest throws of passion.

They stopped long enough to look both ways before crossing the street. Their apartment was just half a block away. She squeezed his hand as they walked urging him to pick up the pace, to which he obliged. He wanted her. He looked at her again as they walked up the front steps and stifled a frustrated sigh. He wanted her, but he wouldn't have her tonight. She'd been through too much and needed time to recuperate from the emotional trauma that she and Lucifer had put her through.

She practically ran up the four flights of stairs with a passive "Hi." to Dawn and her john as they rushed past. When she failed to get the key in the door on the third try, he grabbed the door knob and worked his angelic magic to unlock it for her. He couldn't see her face when she walked past him, but he sensed somehow that her mood had changed. Hopefully that meant that she had found a way to express the emotions that ran so deep she hadn't been able to find the words for.

He locked the door behind them, shutting them in for the night, and then turned to join her on the sofa where they had all their deepest conversations. As soon as he did she grabbed his jacket and pulled him down toward her so she could kiss him. Her kiss wasn't the tenderness of the love that they expressed physically, nor was it the mindless brutality that preceded some of the more animalistic sex they liked to have. It felt confused and frantic.

Reluctantly he broke the kiss. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He didn't want to ask, but he felt like he was taking advantage of her in the state she was in, and he never wanted to do that to her.

Her eyes reflected the uncertainty and desperation he had felt in her kiss, but she nodded her head. "I need this."

He knew she would never be able to explain that need, so he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her again.

She pulled his jacket off his shoulders and the moment his arms were free of it she pulled his shirt up, breaking their kiss long enough to pull the fabric over his head and drop it to the floor. Her eyes followed her hands over his chest and down his stomach. She kissed the muscles of his six pack while her fingers deftly opened his pants and pushed them down out of her way. He never got tired of seeing the raw lust that consumed her when she looked at him, or the way her tongue would snake out of her mouth in the anticipation of tasting him. He bent down to pull his pants off while she reached up under her dress to remove her panties, and then she was in his hands again.

His hands slid up her thighs, lifting the hem of her dress with them, and grabbed her waist. The moment he lifted her off her feet, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled herself in tight. He could feel the heat of her against his flesh and he lost all control. He swung around, slammed her against the door, and slid deep inside her. His thrusts were hard and fast, banging her head into the wood with each one. Despite the possible concussion, she threw her head back in a moment of ecstasy and screamed his name. He took advantage of the moment and lowered his mouth to her throat. She her skin tasted like the cool night air and the saltiness of the sweat that was slowly beginning to creep to the surface.

He tightened his left arm around her while reaching behind her to unzip her dress with the other. He pressed her harder against the door to hold her aloft while he slid the fabric over her head, then unhooked her bra and discarded it as well. He had gotten pretty good at that.

He could feel her hips grinding into his as he moved. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders and she looked at him with that helpless look that always came with her orgasms. He closed his eyes in pleasure as that warm, thick liquid seeped out of her. When he opened them again, she was looking at him with an almost desperate expression. "Take me to bed."

He didn't hesitate. Once they'd crossed the room, he laid her gently on the bed and took his place on top of her. He could still feel those unresolved emotions in her kiss, so it was no surprise when she wrapped her leg around his thigh and rolled him onto his back. The kiss continued momentarily before she slid down his abs and onto his erection. She stayed in that position for a few minutes, sliding her moist heat over him again and again before pushing herself up so that she was sitting on top of him. He held on to her hips as she moved. She grinded her hips into his pelvis, fingertips digging into his sides, the sounds of pleasure being ripped from her throat. She wasn't in any hurry to finish, but she didn't linger.

Her back arched backward thrusting her breasts forward, her body tightened around him and she let out a scream of pleasure as her orgasm took temporary control of her body. When the moment was over, she collapsed on top of him, trembling, sweaty and breathless.

She took a moment to catch her breath before she looked up at him. He was relieved to see that her smile was almost completely back to normal. He ran his fingers through her hair and returned the smile with one of his own.

"Are you ok?"

Her smile grew a little. "Yeah, I'm good. I just needed to get it all out. Thank you."

"Anytime." He watched her beautiful face get closer as she slid back up his body so she could kiss him. The feeling of her skin on his made his erection twitch in anticipation.  
She reached down and wrapped her hand around him. "Feels like you've got something you need to get out too." She gave him a dirty grin and squeezed gently as she stroked him.

"Damn it, woman." With an exaggerated growl, he tossed her off of him playfully and slipped easily between her legs.

Hours later, long after the sun had come up, Michael sighed and tightened his arms around his world. She would be awake soon and in a few hours she would be called away to start her shift at the diner. He would sit there all evening watching her attend the patrons who wandered in and out, and talk to her when things slowed down. Frank and Beth, the owners, had liked him immediately and agreed to his constant presence as long as it didn't hinder Lisa's work. On particularly busy nights, he would help clear the tables and maybe wash dishes to help get her out of there on time; and because Beth insisted on feeding him. He didn't feel right about eating her profits without giving something in return. They weren't exactly rolling in money as the saying goes. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply the scent of her.

The atmosphere of the room changed suddenly. It was almost as if an angel had flown in through the window but without the heavy flutter of wings. He twisted his head around to look behind him to find Dad standing at the end of the sofa smiling at them. He turned back to Lisa, kissed the top of her head, and reluctantly and carefully slid out of bed.  
He slipped into the pajama pants that were sticking out from under the edge of the bed and crossed the room to where his dad was waiting.

"Hello, Son." Dad greeted him with a smile, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't wake the woman sleeping only a few feet away.

"Hi, Dad." Michael was a little nervous. Dad's visits never boded well. "I thought you were going back to the Silver City."

"Oh, I am. I wanted to see you again, to say goodbye." He nodded his head toward the woman sleeping in the bed. "How is she?"

Michael looked behind him then turned to face his father. "Better now. I, um… helped her work through it last night."

Dad grinned knowingly. "Is that what you kids are calling it these days?"

Michael's cheeks actually flushed a little under Dad's knowing gaze. "Do you want me to wake her up? She would love to see you again."

"Let her sleep." Dad had a soft spot for Lisa and it came through in his voice. "I've already said my goodbyes to her." He gave his son a warm smile. "Take good care of her, Son."

Michael's heart skipped a beat. "You're not calling me back home?" Because why else would he have bothered to come here?

Dad chucked softly. "I think the Silver City can do without you for a while longer."

He couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face. "Thanks Dad." He walked into his father's embrace. He was filled with a love that he hadn't known since his youth, before the trouble with his mother began, and he held on tight to it, until Dad reluctantly pulled away.

A holy light emanated from his dad and slowly filled the apartment. He had to cover his eyes against the blinding rays, and when the light faded Dad was gone.

He turned and walked back to the bed. Lisa was sleeping peacefully, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. He was pretty sure that smile was for Dad. He slipped out of his pants and crawled back into bed behind her. Sleep wasn't going to come, so he contented himself with holding her until the sun pulled her out of her slumber.


	16. Lisa

Lisa hummed a happy tune as she wiped down the tables. She had dreamt about Pops last night, which Michael said was an actual visit, and had been able to put a voice to all those emotions that had barricaded themselves inside her. Sex with Michael had helped tremendously, but it hadn't rid her of all of them. When she woke up that morning she had felt like a brand new woman, even if her brain did keep pulling her back into the events of last night.

She had been on the verge of making four new friends, and one of them was an actual demon. That would have been so cool. Amenadiel had been just as kind as she had remembered, and Dan seemed like a gem. She hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Trixie, who'd spent the majority of the evening sneaking peeks at baby Charlie. That is, until all hell broke loose. She couldn't completely blame Lucifer for that one. Yes, he used her to hurt his brother, but she didn't have to react the way that she did. She could have bitten her tongue and ranted to Michael once they were safely away from him.

Lucifer. The devil himself. She had already known what he was, so seeing his devil face really hadn't been much of a shock. It probably would have been if she hadn't been on the verge of ripping his heart out. Well, trying to. She was about to give it her best shot before Michael came between them. Michael. Her fearless archangel, ready to do battle to protect her. She sighed at the thought.

The bell rang and she turned with a smile for the newcomers.

"Oh my god, you're alive!" Chloe exclaimed as the two women ran toward her.

Maze reached her first and wrapped her in a bear hug, followed very closely by Chloe. She would have gladly hugged them back, but her arms were trapped by her sides, so she happily stood there to be squeezed by her friends. The thought made her so happy. The hug, which she was in no hurry to end, lasted for nearly a full minute, and when they finally released her Chloe took her face in her hands and literally began looking for signs of injuries.

"How are you ok?" Maze asked as Chloe conducted her examination.

Lisa shrugged her shoulders a little. "Michael was right there behind me. He'd never let me fall. Well, fall maybe, but not land."

"But his wing is… broken." Maze sounded a little doubtful.

"Wait, it is?" Chloe interrupted.

"Yeah." Lisa was the one who answered. "Lucifer did it in battle during the rebellion."

"Is that why his shoulder is…" Chloe drew invisible circles in the air over her shoulder.

"Mm hm." Lisa nodded.

"What about," Maze looked back over her shoulder to make sure the men working in the corner booth couldn't hear her. "His devil face?" She finished in a whisper. "You humans are terrified of it. Hell, last night even I was terrified of it."

"Yeah." Chloe added, "Even God backed away from him a little bit. How are you not hiding under your bed right now?"

Lisa shrugged again. "I don't know. I mean, I already knew he was the devil, so part of me must have already known he has a devil face, and that it might be kind of scary, and the way I was screaming at him… I guess it wasn't exactly a surprise that he would show it. I was kind of expecting horns though, or a tail or something."

Maze and Chloe laughed heartily at the last part. 

"Michael wasn't afraid of him either." Chloe sounded almost as if she were in awe of the man she had hated so much when he arrived at the party the night before.

"He's very protective of me." Lisa blushed a little when she said it.

"Yeah, no kidding." Maze sounded impressed with the angel herself.

"Well, we can't stay. We just wanted to come by and make sure you were ok." Chloe sounded a little disappointed and Maze's expression mirrored the sentiment.

"I'm so glad you did." Lisa leaned in for a hug from each of them. "I also want to apologize for ruining the party. I should have handled Lucifer better. My temper gets the better me sometimes, I'm afraid, especially when it comes to Michael. I should find the others and apologize to them too."

"Don't you dare apologize." Maze replied. Chloe nodded her head in agreement. "He deserved it for using you like that."

"Thank you." She really didn't know what else to say. She was so overwhelmed by their acceptance that she was rendered nearly speechless.

Maze reminded Chloe of the time. The three exchanged phone numbers and hugs and said goodnight. As soon as they turned to walk to the door, Michael came in.  
He greeted Lisa with the same loving smile as he always did, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His kiss was bold and passionate and it pulled them into a world all their own until it finally ended. When it did, they were greeted with a pair of sighs.

Michael turned his attention to the women behind Lisa. "Good evening, ladies." He gave them one of his panty melting smiles, the bastard.

"Hi Michael." The girls sounded absolutely smitten, and when Lisa turned around, she found her new friends blushing like little school girls who had just been wooed by their biggest crush. She bit back a smile as they said their goodbyes again. She hadn't taken this long to say goodbye to someone since her childhood in Alabama, where a proper goodbye took at least fifteen minutes.

Once the girls had gone, with promises of a girls night in the near future, and the detectives who were working in the corner booth paid their tab and left, she turned her full attention to Michael.

"How did it go at Ms. Pearl's? Did she manage to seduce you this time?" She tried to keep the look of concern on her face as she spoke, but failed miserably. For women in their twilight years, the elderlies sure were a feisty bunch around Michael.

"I was barely able to resist her charms." He played along. "She offered me chocolate chip cookies this time." The seriousness of his demeanor was her undoing and she laughed heartily at the woman's failed seduction.

"Are you hungry? Grant's been biting at the bit for something to do for the past two hours."

"Yeah, I think I am." He leaned in, bringing his face close to hers. "I'll need the energy if I'm going to give you a good hard pounding tonight."

Her insides contracted at the thought and she could feel the moisture between her legs start to dampen her panties.

"Grant!" She yelled to the man in the kitchen, "Fire up the grill, Buddy! My man needs some food!"


	17. Lucifer

Lucifer watched the apartment building from across the street, waiting for Michael and Lisa to leave for the evening. He had over heard them talking about a dinner party they were going to tonight. They were finally going to be out of the apartment.

He wanted to enter through the door on the roof, but there was always someone up there caring for the plants, grilling food, having sex, watching the stars, or just hanging out. You'd think it was a regular hot spot by the constant activity up there.

Two men had set up a folding table, covered it with a white table cloth the filled it with what smelled like the most fabulous meal money could buy. Once the candles were lit and chairs had been placed, they disappeared into the building for a few minutes and then reemerged followed shortly by three other couples, including Michael and Lisa. So that was the dinner party that they were so excited to attend.

It wasn't very late, and although the children would be going to bed soon, the adults were wide awake and very active. He touched his forehead to make sure the scar he'd had specially made was still in place, then he hiked up his right shoulder, pulled his arm into his side and made his way across the street. The irony of pretending to be Michael wasn't lost on him, but it was the only way into their apartment without attracting too much attention.

He kept his gaze to the floor as he pulled the front door open. The lobby was a small open space. There was a table against the wall to the left under rows of metal boxes that were built into the wall. Each box was numbered and had a lock. Elevators were directly across from the door and the staircase was to the left. Just beyond the lobby were four apartments. Not wanting to attract any unwanted attention by putting the elevator to use, he turned toward the staircase.

"Michael! Just the man I want to see."

Lucifer turned to find an elderly woman walking toward him. She was smiling affectionately at him as if he were a young, handsome, member of her family. The moment she came within reach, she took his hand and started pulling him toward her apartment.

"I need you to help me hang my new curtains. Leon was supposed to do it, but he's off with those friends of his again. Those boys are nothing but trouble, I tell you, but try to get him to listen to reason. Kids today. Come on in now." She tugged the stunned devil into her apartment. "Just pull that rod down so I can change them out. Well, what are you doing just standing there, get over here." He obeyed, mostly because he was in a state of shock over the familiarity this woman seemed to have with Michael.

She noticed him looking around as he made his way across the living room. "Don't worry yourself one bit. Bea and Pearl are at bingo. You're sweet little assets are safe with me." She gave him a flirty grin and a wink then motioned impatiently toward the windows. He did as he was told to the cacophony of words springing forth from the old lady's mouth. The chore only took about ten minutes to complete, but it was enough time for him form the opinion that she was just the type of mother figure he would like to have had in his life.

"Just look at them Michael!" She beamed as they stood back to admire their work. "Aren't they just the prettiest things you've ever seen? I know I said that about the last ones I bought, but look at the roses, all the different shades of pinks and greens." She folded her hands together beneath her chin and sighed contentedly.

"Come now. You must let me pay you for your hard work."

Lucifer opened his mouth to protest, but she had already retreated into the kitchen. When she came out a moment later, she was carrying a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. He licked the protest off his lips as he reached for one of the sweet treats. Who was he to say no to life's little pleasures.

"Mmmmm." He moaned in pleasure as he took that first bite. The middle was still warm from the oven and the frosting oozed down to cover his fingers.

"Take a napkin. We can't have you leaving sticky fingerprints all over the building again. There you go. Now go on and get yourself up stairs to that sweet girl of yours. And tell her thank you again for the pie. The girls and I finished it off this afternoon. I'll wash the dish tonight and you can take it home again in the morning." She had been gently pushing him toward the door as she spoke. She stopped long enough to wipe a smidge of icing off the corner of his mouth. "You're such a sweet boy." The look she gave him was one of pure love. "Thank you again for helping me with my curtains." She couldn't seem to stop smiling at him. "Go one now and get yourself home before I keep you here all to myself."

She closed the door gently in his face. Lucifer stared at the old wooden door for several seconds before looking down at the sweet roll he still held in his hand. The affection that woman had for him, Michael, rendered him speechless. But she was an old woman. Lonely elderly people, from what he had witnessed, had a tendency to grab onto the first person to show them any amount of attention just to ease the loneliness of their existence. Yes, that had to have been what had happened. Except Lisa wasn't a dying old woman.

He took another bite of the cinnamon roll and walked back to the stairs. Just as he approached the second floor landing, the door swung open and a woman came rushing out. "OH Michael, thank goodness!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door and across the hall into her apartment. "It's under there!" She yelled frantically pointing to the entertainment center across the room. "Get it!"

Lucifer walked over to the unit, got down on all fours and peered underneath. A spider peered back at him. It was a little thing and looked about as frightened as the woman who had been screaming at it.

"Do you have anything to pick it up with? A napkin or a towel or something?" He had forgotten to speak in Michael's accent, but she didn't seem to notice. She ran from the room and came back a moment later holding out s wad of toilet paper. He reached out with the toilet paper in hand, picked up the arachnid and gently pulled it out of hiding.

"You're not going to kill it, are you? You'll let it go outside like you did last time, right?"

Now she was worried about it's safety? He sighed and nodded his head. "Of course I am." he remembered to speak with Michael's accent this time.

"Good!" She grabbed her purse and opened the door for the both of them. He walked back down the stairs in silence, while she talked about her having to pick her boys up at their dad's and all the junk food he let's them eat and what a bitch his new girlfriend was. She rattled on as she led him to a grassy spot on the side of the building.

"There." She pointed to a shady spot next to the dumpster. "He should be happy there."

Lucifer knelt down and released the scared little spider into the grass. "Thanks again, Michael. I don't mind them, really, it's just that my boys could get bitten while they're playing and, well thank you." She jumped up to kiss him on the cheek then walked toward the old Corolla that was parked next to the street.

His heart softened a little as he watched her drive away to fetch her offspring. She was a good woman, a good mother, just trying to do what she could to keep her children safe. Even if she really did have a problem with her eight legged visitor.

He went back into the apartment building again and headed straight for the stairs. He only had a couple of hours until the dinner party would be over, if they were anything like the ones he had been to, and he really needed to get inside their apartment.

He made it up to the fourth floor before he heard the greeting again.

"Hey Michael! Just the guy I wanted to see." A young man with a camera bag, who was just leaving his apartment, opened the door and stepped inside. He emerged again with a large manila envelope. "Here ya go." He handed the envelope to Lucifer. "It's some of the pictures I took at karaoke last week. You two make the perfect subjects."

Lucifer stared at the package while the young man locked his apartment door.

"I've gotta run. There's a car show downtown and I'm dying to try these new lenses out. I'll see ya later."

He stared after the young man, dumbfounded that he'd had the nerve to take photos of his perpetually shy older brother. And at karaoke night? His brother could, admittedly, sing as well as he did, but he wouldn't be caught dead in a crowded bar, let alone singing in front of other people. Michael lived in the shadows, not in the spotlight.

The door to his brother's apartment was unlocked, so he walked in. Just as he began to take in the sight of the tiny space, he heard sounds coming from the bathroom. Before he had a chance to leave, a surly looking man walked out carrying two plastic shower doors, one of them was broken in half with a severely bent frame, and what looked like the metal frame that held the doors in place.

"Hey Michael." The man set the rubbish in the hall and went back into the bathroom to retrieve his toolbox. Before leaving the apartment he said, "I took the shower doors completely out this time and put up a shower curtain. Sorry about the inconvenience, but that's the third door you two have broken, any more and I'd have to raise your rent. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sex in the shower, but damn Michael." He gave him a knowing, if not impressed look and closed the door behind him.

Michael Demiurgos, a sex fiend? He knew that Michael and Lisa were sleeping together, well he didn't know it but it was a pretty sure bet that they were, but to break a shower door? Three times? Not even he had been so lust driven.

Lucifer took a deep breath. These distractions were interfering with his investigation. He could sense things about people if he was in the environment they spent any significant amount of time in. He just had to concentrate. So he closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths to clear his mind, and opened them again.

What he saw was a simple life. A happy life. He walked around the place touching pictures of the couple that hung on the refrigerator and sat in frames on the table under the window. Dishes had been left in the drain to dry, a half eaten bowl of popcorn and two partially empty glasses of tea were left on the coffee table. On the back of the sofa were what looked like scratch marks. He walked around to the other side and sat down in front of where the scratches were. He could feel the imprint of his brother on those cushions, Lisa straddling him, riding him into fits of pleasure, or kneeling on the cushions behind her, driving her into the throws of an orgasm. He jumped up off the couch, away from the all too erotic visions the two had created. He looked over at the bed with it's sheets disheveled, a pillow fallen to the floor in their midst of their lust. Remnants of a broken lamp glimmered from underneath the night stand, missed somehow during the cleanup. Michael was an absolute devil in bed. Well, that was one thing they had in common. Lucifer grinned at the thought.

The bathroom was as tiny as the apartment was with just enough room for the bathtub with it's brand new shower curtain, printed with pink flamingos which had to have been for Lisa's enjoyment, a toilet and sink, and a laundry hamper hiding in the corner next to the door. He cut the light and walked back into the main room.  
The manila envelope that he'd forgotten he was holding slipped from his fingers and landed with a light thud on the floor. He picked it up, walked over to the sofa and emptied the contents into his hand. In the soft glow of the lamp, the night their friend had captured began to unfold before his eyes. Pictures of Lisa smiling behind the microphone, Michael closing his eyes as the crescendo of the song rang from his chest, the two of them on the dance floor holding on to one another as if they were in their own secret world. The love in their eyes went beyond anything this world had ever seen. It was absolutely divine.

The distractions from the neighbors hindering his progress earlier weren't distractions at all, but a testimony to the life Michael had built for himself here.

He stroked the cheek of the man in the photograph, the man who shared his face; who had found true happiness in this woman, in this simple life.

"Lucifer?"

Startled at the sudden break in the silence, he leaped off the couch and spun around to face the angry green eyes of the woman standing in the doorway.

"Lisa."

"What are you doing here?" She looked like she was ready for a fight.

"I," Dad, why couldn't he lie? "I didn't come here to start trouble."

"You don't think that breaking into our home is starting trouble?" She took an angry step toward him. After seeing his devil face she should have been cowering in fear, not picking a fight with him. Apparently she really wasn't afraid of him.

"I didn't break in. The door was unlocked."

"What? No it wasn't. We locked it on our way out."

He was too stunned by her lack of fear to realize that she had just called him a liar. "There was a man here when I came in, in your bathroom." He pointed toward the bathroom door in his defense.

"George was here?" She looked toward the bathroom when she said it. "Did he fix the shower door?" She asked as she walked to the darkened doorway and flipped on the light switch.

"He took it out. He said you and Michael had broken three of them already and if you broke anymore he'd have to raise your rent. So he put up a shower curtain."

"I love flamingos!" He heard the excitement in her voice which was slightly muffled coming from the other room. She turned the light off, walked back into the room, and resumed giving him an angry look.

"That still doesn't give you the right to snoop around our apartment." She scowled. "Or go through our things." She added when she saw the pictures on the coffee table. She walked over and picked them up.

"The guy across the hall gave me, um Michael, those."

"From karaoke night." She smiled as she flipped through the glossy memories. "Damn it, Lucifer, stop distracting me." She tossed the pictures on the table where she had gotten them from. "What are you doing here?"

He took a step backward when she started to close the distance between them. "I… I…" He stammered.

"You what?" The anger in her voice was really starting to come out.

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok." He raised his voice an octave to match hers, although he didn't know why. He wasn't mad at her.

"You had to break into our apartment for that? You couldn't just call, or show up at the diner?"

She was standing in front of him now. Her hands were curled into fists and he wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if her eyes had actually turned red.

"I didn't break in!" He yelled at her.

"You came in without mine or Michael's permission. That's breaking in!" She yelled back.

He didn't have a comeback for that. At least nothing that wasn't a joke, and this was definitely not the time to start cracking jokes. "I just…"

"You just what!" She was livid.

"I just wanted to know how you could love someone like Michael! He's a weasel! A coward! A liar!"

"What! I'm not good enough for him either!" She screamed at him, but he could hear the tiniest bit of hurt in her voice.

He started to protest, but she cut him off. "Why! Why am I not good enough! Why don't I deserve to be with him!"

"Not good enough? You're too good for him! Hell, you're too good for me!"

"Really! Well I wasn't too good for you to pretend to be interested in at LUX! And I wasn't too good for you to throw away so you could have my sisters! So how the hell am I too good for you, Lucifer! How am I too good for Michael!"

Her tirade shocked Lucifer into silence. What had he done to her? "Oh Dad, Lisa." He reached out and touched her face. She slapped his hand away. She was so angry that she was shaking. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to make you feel that way."

The softer tone of his voice along with his confession stopped whatever words she was about to throw at him. Her eyes filled with tears and she was trying really hard not to let them fall.

"Why would you say something like that?" She tried to yell the words, but she was choking up.

"Sweetheart," The look in her eyes was devastating, so he took a moment to get his thoughts in order before he spoke. "Your heart is filled with more love and compassion and understanding for other people than anyone I've ever known. You have this light inside you that touches everyone you meet. Everyone who crosses your path walks away a better person because of you."

Her tears started to fall and it broke his heart. He took her face in his hand as he continued. "I wanted you so badly that night, I still do. But the thought of defiling you, using your body just to toss you aside when I was through with you was… atrocious. I didn't turn you away because you weren't good enough for me. I turned you away because you were too good for me."

She looked like she wanted to say something, but she couldn't get the words out so he gently tugged her toward him. She fell against him and he held her while all of those years of suppressed emotions fell from her eyes. He felt her relax into his embrace and he closed his eyes, silently thanking Dad that he had been able to articulate his thoughts. He would never have forgiven himself if he had hurt her any further.

She didn't seem to be in any hurry to let go of him, so he held on to her, even after she had stopped crying.

She pulled away from him just far enough so that he could see her face. "Did you find it?"

"Find what?"

"The answers you were looking for when you didn't break into our apartment."

He smiled at her choice of words. "Yes. I think I did." Just as she stepped away from him, the unmistakable sound of wings unfurling permeated the room.

"What are you doing to her?" Michael growled. He reached for Lisa and pulled her behind him, more than ready to defend her.

"We were just talking." Lucifer defended himself against the rather frightening archangel standing in front of him.

"Then why is she crying?" Michael demanded as he took a step forward.

"It was a misunderstanding from years ago. I was just setting things right." Michael knew that he didn't lie, which was more than he could say for Lisa now that he thought about it.  
Michael studied him for a moment and furled his wings, then turned to Lisa. "Are you alright?" He asked as he took her face in his hands.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Lucifer watched the relief wash over his brother's face as he leaned over to press his forehead to hers. The love between them was blatant, and it humbled him to witness the depths of it.

She raised her face to his and kissed him, and then gently pulled herself out of his grasp. The love in her eyes stayed, however.

"I should go back out. Let the guys know that you'll be a few more minutes." He started to protest but she put her finger over his mouth to stop him. "Talk to him. Please?"

"Ok." He smiled down at her.

Lucifer prayed a silent thank you to the fearless woman who was walking toward the door. When she reached it, she turned toward the brothers and smiled. "Thank you, Lucifer."

"You're so welcome, my dear." He replied with a smile.

Lucifer waited until she closed the door behind her before he gave his attention to his brother.

"What are you doing here Lucifer?" Michael sounded wary of him. Who could blame him?

"I wanted to understand how she could be happy here. Happy with you." He was nervous. Michael had come to him offering him friendship and he had thrown his attempts back in his face thinking he was being manipulated again.

Michael huffed at Lucifer's explanation, but he didn't argue. That was something, he supposed.

"I also want to apologize. I was wrong not to try to believe that you really wanted to make amends with me. I kind of have a good reason though." Michael huffed again. "I would like to try now."

"And why would I believe you?" Michael had every right to ask.

It broke his heart that things had gone so badly between them. Yes, Michael had manipulated him but it had been their mother who had been pulling his strings. Michael had been just as much of a pawn as he had.

"You wouldn't. But I'm asking you to, just once more."

Michael contemplated him for a minute before he spoke. "Why?"

He looked down at his feet nervously. Things were starting to get touchy feely and it was making him uncomfortable. Every time this happened with Chloe these days things seemed to go drastically wrong. He couldn’t afford for that to happen now.

He shrugged as he answered, "I want my brother back."

He waited for Michael to say something. When he didn't, he looked up and found his brother watching him. He had the most hopeful look on his face, but he was still wary of him.

"I want that too." Michael's voice was timid, like he still couldn't quite trust him. It was going to take a lot of time to repair the damage they had done to their relationship.

The twins smiled at each other. Then Michael reached out, grabbed the prosthetic scar that crossed Lucifer's face and yanked it off.

"Owe!" What'd you do that for?" Lucifer glared at his brother while rubbing the skin that the scar had been glued to.

"It looked stupid." Michael grinned. "You jealous because I'm better looking than you are?"

"Jealous?" Lucifer scoffed. "I'll show you jealous." He lunged at Michael who easily sidestepped him. "Come here!" He lunged again, tackling him to the ground.


	18. Michael

Michael watched as Lisa hugged Lucifer hello. Over the last couple of weeks, she had been spending as much time with him as she could. She didn't understand why, she only knew that she needed to be near him. Michael understood though, and Lucifer was starting to suspect. He was going to have to talk with his brother, and sooner rather than later.  
The twins and Amenadiel had planned a surprise for Lisa, Chloe, and Linda - they were taking them flying, and the roof of their building was the perfect place for it. George made a "Private Party" sign to hang on the door to the roof so the residents would stop walking in on each other having sex. It was more of a problem than you would think. The girls had thought that dinner on the rooftop was a romantic idea, so they eagerly agreed to his suggestion.

He, Lucifer and Lisa were cooking. Not just so they could spend the time together, but because they were the best cooks in their little group. Lisa and Lucifer sang constantly while they worked, and they joked and teased each other like brother and sister. They had an unshakable bond and it warmed his heart to see it.

Amenadiel, Linda and Chloe were up on the roof setting up the table and chairs, and hanging fairy lights, and whatever else they could think of to do to bring a romantic ambiance to the evening.

The duo was belting out the chorus to "Cheese Burger In Paradise" when Amenadiel came back in.

"Hey, Lisa. Chloe wants to know if you have a tablecloth. She couldn't find one in storage."

"Someone must have used it." She thought for a second then walked to the closet. "We'll just have to use this." She pulled a flat sheet out of the closet. "I'll take it up. Someone check the brussel sprouts." When she got to the door, she turned to look at the angels standing in the kitchen. The smile fell from her face when her eyes met Lucifer's. She looked so sad. She gave him a heartbreaking little smile then turned and walked out the door.

The brothers stood in silence for a moment while the truth slowly made it presence known.

"Does she know?" Amenadiel asked.

Before he could reply Lucifer swung around and hit him squarely in the jaw. "Why didn't you tell me!" He grabbed Michael by the collar and pulled him up off the floor before Amenadiel could stop him.

"I was afraid you'd say something to her. You know how much you like to over share." He looked at Amenadiel to answer his question. "And no, she has no idea. I didn't want it to ruin the time she has left."

"How long does she have?"

He shook his head at Amenadiel. "She won't live to see tomorrow."

"That's why you wanted to take her flying tonight. And why you've been doing so many things together lately."

He nodded his head. "I wanted to give her as many happy memories as I could before she…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't bare to say it out loud, even though he was going with her and they were going to spend eternity together in the Silver City.

"I'll never see her again." Lucifer's voice sounded so broken that he could feel the pain deep in his heart.

"You will if you come home."

"I can't come home. I'm not welcome there. Remember?" Lucifer growled at him. "Besides, I still have to rule Hell once Chloe's… gone. Dad didn't change his mind about that."  
"Are you sure about that?" He could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"What do you mean, Brother?"

Michael shrugged. "A whisper here, a well orchestrated coincidence there…"

"Michael, you manipulated Father!" He couldn't tell if Amenadiel was outraged or impressed. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Relax big Bro. I simply pointed out how even the prodigal son was redeemed and accepted again by his mortal father. If a human could show that kind of love and forgiveness, surely the one who created him could."

"And who's going to rule Hell?" Lucifer ask. "I doubt you'll leave Lisa behind to do it. Which of our brothers or sisters would you condemn to rule over the damned?"

"Not one of our siblings, dear Brother. Miss Mazikeen." He smiled at the shocked expressions on his brothers' faces. "She enjoys torturing people anyway. As long as no one escapes and everyone gets the punishment they deserve, Dad is happy to let her do it."

"But it has to be a celestial who rules Hell." Lucifer pointed out.

"Unless Father gave her her wings." Amenadiel said.

Michael smiled. "Yes, Dad gave Mazikeen her angel wings, and a soul. If she fails in her duties as the ruler of Hell, she loses them both."  
"Well, Maze certainly won't refuse an offer like that. I'm impressed, Brother."

He smiled at Lucifer's compliment. "What's the point of sitting at the right hand of God if you can't help a brother out?"

He had tried so hard to find a way that he and Lucifer could keep the relationship they had now, and so Lucifer could come and see Lisa whenever he wanted. Maze was happy. Amenadiel was happy with life here on Earth. He had done everything in his power to give everyone the happiness they deserved. He just wished he could stop the heartache that Lisa's friends were about to go through. She truly was a gift, and those who knew her were going to suffer. There was nothing he could do about that.

"Hey, Amenadiel." Linda said as she and Chloe walked into the apartment. "Where's that table cloth? We can't set the table without it."

"Lisa took it up a few minutes ago." He voice faded at the end.

Michael and Lucifer were already out the door.

"Where is she?" Lucifer asked as he desperately searched the hallway. One of the apartment doors was standing open, so he went in. Camille, Lisa's exotic dancer friend, was lying face down in a pool of blood. I'll call it in. Chloe shooed Lucifer out of the crime scene as she made the call.

Michael ran to the other end of the hall, yanked the door open, and bolted down to the third floor. Lisa was lying on the stairs. Blood was pouring from a cut on her throat and multiple stab wounds on her chest.

"NO!" Lucifer roared.

By the time he got to her, Michael had already lifted her head off the stairs and was holding her close to his chest. Even though he knew what was about to happen, the sight of her dying tore through him. He could feel her body giving in to her injuries as her life slowly spilled onto the floor. He could feel the pain she was in and the joy in her heart that the angels she loved so much were near her. And the sadness she felt that she would never see Lucifer again.

Lucifer could feel all of this as well. She tried to reach for him as he leaned in to kiss her cheek but she couldn’t move.

"I'll see you soon, Darling." She looked confused, and then smiled when she understood. Lucifer looked back to his brother. "Take her."

He scooped Lisa up in his arms and carried her up onto the roof.

By the time they got there, Chloe had rejoined the others on the stairs. She was still in full detective mode and called in the second victim. Amenadiel held onto Linda at the top of the staircase while Lucifer slipped past them to join Michael outside.

He had waited to see if Lucifer was going to come to say goodbye to her in private. The others didn't understand the bond his brother had with Lisa. Their love for each other was often taken the wrong way, it had even led to fights with Chloe, but he understood it. Maybe it was a twin thing. Maybe Lucifer had bonded with her because she was bonded to his twin.

"Brother." Lucifer addressed him, but he was looking at Lisa. Her eyes were closed but she was holding on to her life with everything she had left. He brushed a curl away from her face and kissed her cheek again, then turned his attention to Michael.

"What are Dad's plans for her?"

Michael raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think she won't spend eternity like all the others?"

"A mortal woman who enraged the devil then stood face to devil face with him? A woman who shines a light so brightly that she touches the souls of everyone she meets?" Lucifer retorted.

"Point taken." He grinned. "I have no idea what plans he has for her, but I know that whatever they are I'm going to be there with her."  
Lucifer smiled. "I'll see you soon, Brother."

Michael unfurled his wings then smiled down at Lisa. She looked like she was sleeping in his arms. "Let's go home." With a mighty flap of his wings, they were airborne and on their way to the Silver City.


	19. Epilogue

Lisa watched from the shadows of Chloe's darkened kitchen as the detective collapsed onto the couch. She had been so excited when Pops told her that she was going to be a guardian angel, but she never expected to have to watch over Chloe. She should have been excited about her first assignment, but after watching her subject for the last couple of months, she was livid.

Michael had told her all about Chloe during their endless conversations, but she had assumed he was exaggerating a little. People, and angels, tend to do that when telling a story from their own point of view. If anything he had under exaggerated. She was terrified of literally everything, from being shot, to Lucifer cheating on her, to Trixie getting abducted and sold into sex slavery. She had reasons to be concerned, naturally, but her fear was becoming debilitating. And never mind what she was doing to Lucifer.

Lisa's anger grew at the thought. She had overheard a conversation he had with Michael about how bad things were getting with Chloe and had asked his brother for help. After all, Michael had the gift of fear. What they didn't know was that when Pops used one of Michael's feathers to give her her angel wings, he also allowed her to share Michael's gift. And when Pops made her Chloe's guardian angel, well… She couldn't wait to get her hands on her, so to speak.

She had waited and watched from afar because she didn't want her anger at Lucifer's pain to interfere with her duties too much. You know, take a deep breath and come at it with a clear mind and all. That didn't quite work out the way she had hoped.

They weren't supposed to interact directly with their wards, but she honestly didn't know what else to do. She had helped some of Chloe's fears manifest in just the right way so that she could see how to overcome them. Instead, she misread the messages her angel was sending her and her fears started spiraling out of control.

She really wanted to help her friend, and she didn't want to disappoint Pops. Honestly, you'd think her very first assignment would have been a little easier. Help her get her feet wet before holding the fate of Lucifer's true love in her hands. Fucking Chloe.

She seemed as comfortable now as she was going to get, which wasn't really comfortable at all. She sat straight up, eyes glued to Trixie's bedroom door, and would stay that way until she passed out from exhaustion. In the morning, she would wait outside the school until Trixie was safely inside, then rush home to shower before going to work. Lucifer had to be there while she was bathing, to stand guard so no one could break in and attack her, then she would basically attach herself to him, terrified to be out of his sight, until the day ended and she was safely locked in her home again.

Dan, Ella and Amenadiel all tried to help her, and Lucifer had started dragging her to his therapy sessions with Linda, but Chloe had built a wall of fear around herself and no one was getting through.

Then she had started accusing Lucifer of having an affair with Lisa before she died. Now that pissed her off. Yes, they shared a bond that they couldn't really explain, but Lisa was completely devoted to Michael and Lucifer was head over heels in love with Chloe, and everyone who knew them knew that.

She waited until Chloe started to let her guard down a little. Everyone walked on eggshells around her these days trying not to set her off and none of them were getting through to her. Time to stir the pot a little.

Chloe looked about as relaxed as she was going to get, so Lisa unfurled her wings and flew into the living room, landing directly in front of her. Chloe screamed and pressed herself in to the back of the sofa trying desperately get away from the monster that had appeared out of thin air.

"Hi Chloe."

The woman stopped trying to climb over the back of the sofa at the sound of her voice. "Lisa?" She sounded wary. Once she could make out her face in the dim light, she slowly made her way to her feet to greet her deceased friend. That scared her too.

"Hey!" She repeated the greeting as she wrapped her arms around the now trembling woman and hugged her tight.

"Hey." Chloe gave her a tentative hug in return, but she pretended not to notice. "You're an angel." She pointed to Lisa's wings. Even that seemed to scare her.

"Yeah. But not just an angel, I'm a guardian angel." Ok, so she might have been bragging just a little bit. "Your guardian angel." She poked Chloe's chest when she added that last part.

"Yeah, I see that." Chloe looked past her at her wings. She had left them out on purpose, hoping to throw Chloe off a little.

"What?" She look back toward her right wing. "Oh yeah. They're beautiful, aren't they?" She fluttered them a little to show them off.

"Yeah they are." She reached out like she was going to touch it them withdrew her hand again. "What happened to it?"

"Nothing, actually. Pops used one of Michael's feathers to make my wings. He took it from his broken wing. I think that's why mine looks like this. Did you know that Michael and I are the only two angels ever to have the exact same wings?"

"That's kinda cool." Some of Chloe's fear of her dead friend was starting to ease. She reached out toward Lisa's broken wing again, "Does it hurt?"

Just as Chloe was about to touch it, she moved it a little, just enough to surprise her, then held her breath to see how she would react. Chloe let our a startled cry and grabbed her chest. Once her heart started beating again, she laughed and immediately started to relax. Thank Pops!

"No. It wasn't actually injured like Michael's is, it just looks like it.

This time Chloe actually touched it. She knew how incredible they were, hell she was still in awe over Michael's wings, so she gave her a moment to take them in.

"They really are incredible." Chloe reluctantly took a step back away from the giant black wings, and gave her attention back to Lisa. "So, do we all become angels when we die?"

"No, I was the exception." She didn't have to sound quite so proud of herself. She looked Chloe in the eye to make sure she got her point across. "These wings aren't the only thing I got from Michael. I got his gift of fear." Chloe's eyes grew as round as saucers. "Don't say anything." She cut her off with the raise of her hand. "I don't have much time. I'm not even supposed to be here. My job as your guardian angel is to keep you safe until Pops decides it's your time to come home. Or to go to Hell. It's not my job to show you how stupid it is to live in fear. It's not my job to tell you that you're smothering your daughter to the point where she's going to leave as soon as she turns eighteen and you're never going to see her again." Chloe started backing across the room to get away from her, so she followed keeping a very short distance between them.

"It's not my job to point out that all of your loved ones are distancing themselves from you because you've become a raging bitch whenever anyone says the slightest little thing that disagrees with your fear laden outlook on life." Chloe hit the edge of the chair and fell backward onto the cushion.

Lisa leaned in real close, bringing her face within a couple of inches of Chloe's. She was getting to the part that made her blood boil. "It's not even my job to save your relationship with Lucifer." She gave her a look that was somewhere between exasperation and anger. "Don't bother to deny it. You've driven Lucifer so far away that's he is seriously considering going back to Hell, dethroning Maze, and taking back his rightful place as king. Nothing he ever does is good enough for you. You don't listen to him. You don't try to understand him. You expect him to conform to your ideas of what he should be so that he fits into your perfect little world. And when he shows the slightest bit of grief at losing a good friend, you start accusing him of sleeping with me. Yes, I love him more than I would love a brother, and yes if neither of us had found our soul mates we probably would have ended up together, but none of that gives you the right to break his heart!" Her voice had gotten louder as she spoke until she was nearly yelling at the end.

"If you want to drive your daughter away, fine. You want to lose what friends you have left, go ahead. You wanna spend the rest of your life cowering in this house, well that just makes my job a whole lot easier. But you will not fuck with my devil." She held her place for a moment or two to let her anger really penetrate that thick head of Chloe's, then she slowly stood up.

Thunder rumbled overhead and both he women looked up toward the sky.

"I gotta go." She felt like a troublesome child being called home by an angry parent.

"Are you in trouble?" Chloe asked bringing her gaze from the ceiling and focusing it on her guardian angel.

"Maybe. I told you, I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to interact with my wards."

The thunder rolled again, only louder. "Then why did you risk it?"

Lisa smiled. "Because I love you and I hate seeing you living like this."

"What do I do?" Chloe was on the verge of tears.

She shrugged. "You have to find a way to overcome your fears. Talk to somebody about it. But not Linda. She's awesome, but she's also your friend. She's been walking on eggshells around you just like the others have. Have her refer you to someone. I'm sure she knows someone who can help."

"Thank you." Chloe practically fell into her arms, holding onto her friend as tightly as she could.

"You're welcome." The thunder sounded like it was in the room with them this time. She started to turn away then stopped at the last second. "Oh, here." She reached back and pulled one of the smaller feathers from her wing and handed it to Chloe. "It's to remind you that I got your back, even if you can't see me." She smiled and started to walk away from her ward. "By the way, my afterlife is only as exciting as your life, so go to Disney Land or something, will ya?" With a smile she flapped her wings and was gone.


End file.
